The Toronto Maple Leafs are finding out the hard way that costly mistakes against elite competition can be unforgiving – especially against top contenders like the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
After blowing a 4-2 lead against the Colorado Avalanche in a 7-4 loss on Saturday, Toronto has now dropped three straight games, with miscues, lapses, and inconsistency proving to be the difference.
Considering how tight the race is in the Atlantic Division standings, Head coach Craig Berube didn’t mince words following the loss, emphasizing the need for his team to clean up its play.
“It’s just mistakes for me,” said Berube. “It’s a tough place to come in and play, and when you can hold a lead going into the third, we’re right there to shut it down. Just gotta clean up the mistakes,” said Berube.
Berube acknowledged that against top-tier teams like Colorado and Vegas – who dominated the Leafs in a 5-2 loss earlier in the week – any verison of a mistake can be detrimental.
“We gotta stop making mistakes because they capitalize on them,” Berube added. “They’re good teams, they’re good players. We did a good job against MacKinnon tonight. I know he got the power-play goal, but we need more guys to step up and do a job. The mistakes gotta go; they have to get cleaned up because that’s what’s costing us right now, these last two games. It’s just mistakes.”
The Leafs entered the third period against the Avalanche with a one-goal lead but saw it disappear as Colorado struck twice in under five minutes, taking control of the game on the scoreboard. Two empty-net goals sealed the deal, but truth be told, the collapse was brewing long before that. Despite leading for most of the contest, Toronto was under constant pressure, getting outshot 27-11 after two periods.
It was only a matter of time before Colorado broke through.
John Tavares admitted the team made too many errors, allowing the Avalanche to dictate the game despite the high pace of play.
“Few too many mistakes that led to opportunities for them, and we weren’t able to find another one in the third,” Tavares said.
Saturday’s loss was the second straight game where the Leafs were outplayed by a Stanley Cup contender. Against Vegas, they trailed 5-0 before showing any signs of life, ultimately falling 5-2 – despite starting the game with a Matthew Knies fight.
With the Atlantic Division race heating up, Toronto cannot afford to keep dropping points. The Leafs now trail the Florida Panthers by four points for first place.
As we’ve come to know, winning the division could mean the difference between facing a Wild Card opponent versus a tougher first-round matchup (in theory) against the Panthers or Lightning.
Toronto had been riding a stretch of close victories, thanks in large part to strong goaltending, but cracks are beginning to show. Over the past two games, the Leafs have surrendered 10 goals, with neither Joseph Woll nor Anthony Stolarz able to steal a game for them.
On Wednesday, Woll was pulled for the first time in his NHL career in Wednesday’s game against Vegas. Stolarz, who got the start in Colorado, also struggled, though the Leafs’ lack of help did him no favors.
With a tough stretch of games upcoming on the schedule, including the Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, and New York Rangers, the Leafs will need to tighten up.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
