High scoring games are often when teams show their talent and skill, but they can also illuminate the other team’s shortcomings in a very obvious manner. Such was the case in the Maple Leafs 6-5 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
The first half of the game was advantage Toronto, who led 4-1 and chased Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after scoring two goals in the opening 42 seconds of the second period, due mostly to a short-handed Penguins defense, who were without Rob Scuderi and Paul Martin.
Pittsburgh dominated the second half, aided by questionable penalty calls which led to three power-play goals and a complete lack of effort by the Leafs, as they squandered a 5-3 third period lead and lost in the shootout, thanks to goals by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Pittsburgh struck first, as Chris Conner took advantage of defensive lapse by Cody Franson to score his first of the season just 1:57 into the game. James van Riemsdyk replied with the first of two goals on the night on the power play deflecting a Dion Phaneuf point shot and Nazem Kadri put Toronto into the lead midway through the first on a shot that beat Fleury just inside the right post.
The Leafs top line struck twice in the opening minute of the second by pressuring the Penguins defense to cough up the puck behind their net. Van Riemsdyk’s 11th of the season and Phil Kessel’s club-leading 13th of the year gave Toronto a commanding 4-1 lead early in the second, but as we have become painfully aware of, no lead is safe for this club.
“I thought we played in two parts.” said coach Randy Carlyle after the game. “I didn’t think we had a very good start to the game, but then we got our game going and then we started to play more of what we are capable of doing.”
Pittsburgh began to turn the tide thanks in part to six minor penalties that Toronto took after establishing their big lead. Some calls were wholly justified, like Nazem Kadri’s goalie interference minor for bumping Pens backup Jeff Zatkoff, while others were more than questionable; like Peter Holland’s interference call late in the second that Kris Letang scored on to narrow the lead to 4-3 or Jerred Smithson’s holding penalty in the third that led to James Neal’s five-on-three goal to make it 5-4.
“We got ourselves into penalty problems early in the third and gave them all the momentum.” Carlyle said. “The hold against Smithson…..I just looked at it……was a pretty soft call. I don’t know what he’s supposed to do. He got on the right side of the guy and he took the man out, but they saw it differently.”
Toronto had no answer for Malkin, who had two goals, an assist and free reign for most of the night, using his size to bulldoze through the Leafs defense and inflict punishment on Toronto forwards, as he did colliding with Kessel early in the third and with a cross-check to the side of the head of Mason Raymond.
The big Russian scored a power-play goal midway through the second to make it 4-2, had another goal called back due to a high stick, scored the disputed tying goal in the third as he pushed defenseman Paul Ranger, goaltender Jonathan Bernier and the puck over the goal line, as well as scoring the clincher in the shootout.
Toronto appeared to have staved off the Penguins rally, as Tyler Bozak scored with under five seconds remaining in the second to re-establish a two-goal lead, but the Leafs mostly passive nature and penalties to Smithson and Van Riemsdyk early in the third gave Pittsburgh a 54 second two-man advantage which gave them the momentum once again. Goals by Neal and Malkin tied the game, but the Leafs held on through regulation to earn a single point.
"I thought we did some good things for parts of the game, but obviously against a team like that you give them an inch and they're going to take it all." van Riemsdyk said.
The Leafs were again bested in shots on goal, as Pittsburgh doubled them 48-24 in the game. The level of Penguins dominance was painfully evident by their outshooting Toronto 19-0 in the third period or in overtime.
“We can’t expect our goalies to stop 50 shots a night.” Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said following the game.
While the Leafs coach was critical of the officiating for the penalty calls and the non-penalty call on Malkin for goaltender interference on the tying goal, he did not spare his team from blame or criticism.
“We take penalty after penalty and take our momentum away and give the other team an opportunity and we stopped skating, we stopped forechecking, we stopped playing.” Carlyle said “There’s no explanation for us not getting any shots in the third period when we got an old enough group and veteran core that should be to grab ahold of it and make a difference with our structure.”
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The scratching of Jake Gardiner in Pittsburgh for the first time this season was an overt signal that the Leafs have not been happy with his play recently. TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday that Carlyle considers the 23-year-old a bottom pairing defenseman based on his inconsistencies and difficulties in his own zone and that GM Dave Nonis may have more willingness to listen to offers for Gardiner, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Dreger indicates that the Leafs had discussions with the New York Rangers regarding defenseman Michael Del Zotto and that Gardiner's name was brought up in the conversation.
While the Leafs are not anxious to move the slick skating defenseman for the sake of moving him, there appears not to have been any growth in Gardiner's game that allows a higher level of trust from his coach. Toronto is clearly on the lookout for defensive help, as Paul Ranger continues to struggle in his comeback bid after being away from the NHL for three seasons, Franson has regressed defensively from a breakout 2013 season and Mark Fraser appears a step slow likely due to his knee difficulties. Nonis may be able to make a move to get a veteran closer to the trade deadline, but it appears he may be open to move Gardiner for a comparable young player.
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