TORONTO – The Maple Leafs fired 52 shots on goal against the National Hockey League’s best team, the Montreal Canadiens, on Saturday. It was the most shots they had taken in a game since November 2010. And although they played what was arguably their best game of the season, they still lost, thanks to some special-teams errors and various mistakes when playing deep.
The latest loss, by a 5-2 score, left Toronto with just one victory in its first seven games. Still, nobody, especially the coach preaching a long-haul approach to the team’s redevelopment, is interested on changing course.
“They got in behind us at the start of the third period, twice, we had kind of felt bad for ourselves before we got playing again,” Babcock said Sunday. “Just keep playing. Get ready for one shift tomorrow, come back to the bench, get a drink of water and get ready for the next shift. Life will be good, I promise.”
Special teams remain a problem area, though. The power play is now converting at just 9.5 per cent, putting the team 26th out of 30 teams prior to Sunday’s games. The penalty kill allowed two goals Saturday and fell to 75 per cent, which puts them 25th. There doesn’t seem to be an urgency to change things up, but rather a need to become more comfortable in the situation.
At even strength, with the extra pressure the Leafs have been creating in offensive zone, there comes some vulnerabilities when you lose the puck and find yourself in transition.
“Everybody is trying to do too much right now,” veteran defenceman Roman Polak said. “Right now, we are maybe too aggressive, going around the boards to shoot it. The pinches with the D, I got caught myself, twice on the pinch and they (Montreal) just fly by.”
Polak was the only Leafs player who had more shots that were fired against than were shot for by the Leafs when he was on the ice. Every other Toronto player was on the right side shot attempts for/against ledger.
When the Maple Leafs fired head coach Randy Carlyle in early January and replaced him with interim coach Peter Horachek, the Leafs showed some of the same improvements in shots and possession. Eventually, though, the patience to stick to it wore out and the Leafs reverted to their old ways.
This is where Babcock ultimately hopes his time as a teacher comes into play.
“You’ve got to build your belief system,” he said. “I’m not coaching players, I’m coaching people and so when you’re not rewarded, sometimes you get a little discouraged. To me, that’s crazy. Why would you let that get in the way? We know where we’re going. We know we’re going to be a good team. Just keep on plugging.”
Certain trends are developing within some of the Leafs’ younger and more talented players. Nazem Kadri won 20 faceoffs in Montreal and continues to earn more ice time. On the defensive side, Morgan Rielly continues to be given more of a role and has thrived under the boost of confidence his coach has offered.
“I want that responsibility. I want the coach to look at me as a guy that can put out at the end of games on a penalty kill, a power play, anything, you know? I think it’s a good thing,” said Rielly, who is in his third full season. “It’s gradually starting to happen, which is good. With experience comes responsibility, and I think I have to be willing to accept that and be a big part of this team.”
Rielly was the only defenceman who played at least two minutes on both the power play and penalty kill on Saturday. With the added responsibility comes a necessity to be patient until the system starts to click.
“I think with that, you almost have to have it down to an art. The penalty kill isn’t quite there yet, obviously, but we’re getting there. It just takes time to work on it,” Rielly said. “With the power play, it’s often times a gelling thing, knowing where the other guys are going to be, we’re not quite there yet. They don’t know right off the bat where everybody has to be … which takes time.”
Rielly scored his first goal on Saturday night, and he and Matt Hunwick are being used with other defenceman who have struggled to find a consistent role. Rielly started the season getting 20 minutes a game. That has since increased to an average of 25 minutes over the last two games.
The Leafs play five of their next six games at home, starting Monday night against Arizona. If the positivity is going to increase, it’s clear that the younger players will play the biggest role in ensuring things don’t sour.
