In a season where the Toronto Maple Leafs have found a variety of ways to lose, the 3-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday was another avenue altogether.
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The Leafs led 1-0 after forty minutes on the strength of Phil Kessel’s 20th goal of the year(his first goal at even strength in 16 games) and the goaltending of Jonathan Bernier, who kept Toronto in the lead after facing 21 Arizona shots in the middle frame.
Any positive progress was quickly erased within the first four minutes of the third period, as Oliver Ekman-Larsson tied the game five seconds in on a shoot-in off the opening faceoff and Martin Hanzal scored the game-winner on a bad angle shot through Bernier’s pads.
Former Oiler Sam Gagner added a power-play insurance goal late in the third to guarantee the victory for Arizona, who ended their seven-game winless streak.
The loss extends Toronto’s winless streak to eight straight (0-7-1) since a 5-2 win over Columbus on January 9 and their dramatic death spiral since winning six games in a row in mid-December. The Leafs are 3-15-1 since December 19(a streak that encompasses nearly one-quarter of the regular season).
“We’re struggling. I think we had some chances. You’re up 1-0, you’ve got to find a way to get that second one.… Kessel said following the game. “We just weren’t able to find it tonight. It’s tough. We’ve got to be better. Like you said, we’re not getting very many good bounces are we? Hopefully that changes soon. …
It seemed implausible that this Toronto club could appear more flawed than it did during former coach Randy Carlyle’s tenure, but based on their performance under interim coach Peter Horachek, Carlyle may be deserving of votes for the Jack Adams Trophy.
That is not to cast aspersions against Horachek for his 1-9-1 record as Leafs coach, but more a commentary on the dysfunction of the Toronto roster, which is apparent when any coach asks them to play at both ends of the ice.
The Leafs lack of leadership has shown itself in many instances this season; after the blowout losses to Buffalo and Nashville, the reaction to jerseys being thrown on the ice, the petulant Salute-gate response by the players and a lack of accountability from some after Carlyle’s dismissal.
During the recent losing streak the club’s fragile psyche has been exposed. One bad break or turnover leading to a goal leads to a complete crumbling of confidence. This is not something that can be solved by a sports psychologist or a coach with a gentler demeanor; it can only be solved by constructing the core group with different players.
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With the loss on Thursday, the Leafs have a better statistical chance of winning the draft lottery than making the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Flyers moved ahead of Toronto in the NHL standings with a 5-4 win over Winnipeg on Thursday, putting Toronto 23rd overall in the league, with a 6% chance to win the NHL Draft lottery.
The Flyers(who host the Leafs at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday) have 49 points, Toronto 48, Ottawa 47, Columbus 45, New Jersey 44 and Arizona 40. All the teams trailing the Leafs in the standings have one to three games in hand.
According to sportsclubstats.com, Toronto has a 1.8% chance of making the post-season with 32 games remaining. The Leafs trail the Boston Bruins by 11 points and NY Rangers by 10 points in the Eastern Conference wild card race, with both clubs having games in hand.
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Kevin Cheveldayoff was among the many scouting the Leafs – Devils game in Newark on Wednesday and according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Winnipeg Jets GM has interest in Toronto winger Daniel Winnik.
The Jets were interested in signing Winnik prior to the season, but the veteran forward opted for his hometown team’s one-year, $1.3 Million offer.
Winnipeg currently holds the top wild card spot in the Western Conference with 60 points, is looking to add depth prior to the March 2nd deadline and has an organization stacked with prospects(six played in the recent World Junior Championships), which may make them willing to trade a prospect or future draft pick for an expiring contract.
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