Barkov foils Leafs late comeback; Q & A - December 16 Edition (maple leafs)

maple leafs

Barkov foils Leafs late comeback; Q & A - December 16 Edition

By Mike Augello

Dec 16, 2018 • 9:17 pm

0comment-bubble

For the latest Leafs updates or on Twitter

The Toronto Maple Leafs followed an all too familiar blueprint in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday, putting forth a subpar effort against an opponent near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and hoping to steal two points with a desperate rally late in the game. The Leafs penalty killing was victimized on the night, allowing power play goals from Alesander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau that gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. John Tavares cut the Florida lead to 2-1 on a deflected point shot and Mitch Marner tied the game late in the third, but Barkov replied 27 seconds later to put the Panthers back in front. Marner tied the game with 1:40 left in regulation and Frederik Andersen pulled for the extra attacker, as his screenshot evaded Roberto Luongo. The late rally earned Toronto a point, but Barkov would not be denied in overtime, as he deked out Andersen for his third goal of the game to give the Panthers the win. “The first two periods we weren't good enough. (Florida’s) special teams were better than our special teams (and) we weren't good enough.… Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said after the game. “The bottom line is you've got to be ready to play every night in the league. You play lots of games so some nights you're not, you've got to find a way to respond and find a way to win.… Toronto has lost their magic touch on the road on their current five-game stretch, with a win over Carolina and losses in Boston, Tampa Bay and Florida. The Leafs play in New Jersey on Tuesday before closing out December with four of their next five games at Scotiabank Arena. ******* In spite of their success this season, it does appear that the Leafs have to address a couple problem areas before they will be considered the equals of the Lightning and other Stanley Cup contenders. With more than two months until the NHL trade deadline, the question is how GM Kyle Dubas will take advantage of the empty cap space the club has this season and can they add difference makers before February 25th to improve the club’s chances in the postseason. With that in mind, we go to the wonderful world of Twitter (which is so accepting of differing opinions) to answer some of your questions about the Leafs:

*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******

Show Comments
Loading...
Loading...
Loading sidebar...
0
Show comments for this article