"There hasn't been a lot that's gone the Toronto Maple Leafs ' way through the first two months of the season. They've grinded through injuries and poor play, and though there have been some encouraging signs as of late, the club has been unable to pull itself out of the gutter. The message from the coaching staff has been that they need to be more consistent with their effort, but that mantra can grow tiresome when the effort doesn't lead to positive results."
"Despite their recent struggles, the Leafs continued to grind it out on the road in Columbus on Wednesday night, and their goaltender led the way as they were finally rewarded with a crucial two points. The return of Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy was a welcome spark for the Leafs, but the reinforcements were unable to get going early in the game as the Leafs were forced to kill off three penalties in the opening frame."
"The Blue Jackets' power play ranks near the bottom of the league, and the Leafs did well to withstand the early disadvantage, but it led to a disjointed bench for head coach Craig Berube, making it difficult for the Leafs to generate much in the way of momentum. To their credit, the Leafs did their best to stick with it through the early penalty troubles, and they came out strong in the second period, as Max Domi looked to be finding some chemistry with Matthews."
The Maple Leafs struggled through the first two months with injuries, poor play, and inconsistent effort. The team continued to grind on the road in Columbus, where the goaltender helped secure two crucial points. Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy returned and provided a spark, but the Leafs faced three penalties in the opening frame and had to kill each one. Columbus's power play ranked near the league bottom, yet the penalties disrupted Toronto's momentum and created a disjointed bench. The Leafs improved in the second as Max Domi found chemistry with Matthews and lines generated quality chances. Kent Johnson's offside removed a Zach Werenski goal.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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