"The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered yet another brutal loss and it just so happened to be to one of the worst teams in the entire NHL. It's never good to take a loss, but given where the Nashville Predators are and how much of a disaster they have been, to come into their building and lose 5-3 on Hockey Night in Canada, is not a good look."
"The Leafs have not been playing to win hockey games, but rather have been playing not to lose. Nic Roy on tonight's game. "There's definitely a shift we got to do mentally where you never want to play not to lose. You want to play to win, so not sit back. I think play our game, impose our game. I think we're playing a little too much 'we don't want to lose'". - David Alter (@dalter) December 21, 2025"
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-3 to the Nashville Predators and looked flat-footed, getting outshot 34-22 and failing to control the game. Nicolas Roy said the team needs a mental shift because players have been playing not to lose instead of to win. Head coach Craig Berube favors tight, low-event games, but the roster lacks the speed and youth to execute high-pace hockey. The team has been attempting to grind opponents without establishing a true physical or strategic identity. The combination of cautious mentality, aging personnel, and no clear identity has produced disappointing results.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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