The downward slide of Toronto Maple Leafs continued on Tuesday, as they struggled early and could not to overcome a sizeable deficit in a 5-3 loss to the Western Conference leading St. Louis Blues at Air Canada Center.
The loss was the sixth straight in regulation for Toronto and finds them out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot for the first time since mid-January. With the exception of the Leafs scoring the opening goal, the game eerily followed the same formula that has troubled Toronto since the beginning of their struggles in San Jose two weeks ago.
St. Louis outworked and dominated the Leafs early, but fell behind on Joffrey Lupul’s power play goal midway through the first. The Blues applied constant pressure in the Toronto zone, firing 23 shots on goalie Jonathan Bernier in the opening frame and tied the game on TJ Oshie’s 18th of the season.
“The start of the games, we do employ a system that allows our D-men to be involved, but in this game specifically we did not have the puck and when we did, we just slapped it around.… Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said following the game. “When you play against a team like St. Louis, they did a lot of things that we are trying to convince our hockey club to do, as far as hanging on to the puck a little bit more.… The turning point occurred late in the first during a St. Louis power play, as Dion Phaneuf flubbed a clearing attempt that led to a Blues counterattack and David Backes go-ahead goal with 33 seconds remaining.
Backes and former Leafs first rounder Alexander Steen built the St. Louis lead to 4-1 in the middie frame before Toronto rallied in the third with goals from Carl Gunnarsson and James van Riemsdyk. With Bernier pulled, the Blues captain scored his third goal of the game and ended any faint hopes of a Leafs comeback.
“I think there are some things that definitely we can do that would reinforce…..again we played 30 minutes of hockey tonight and showed that we can play, but where is the 60 minutes?… Carlyle said. “We cannot afford to start the way we’ve been starting, we have to have more of an effort or a consistent confident start then what we’ve had in these games.…
The loss puts the Leafs in an increasingly more difficult position to make the playoffs, in spite of things going their way on the out-of-town scoreboard.
The Washington Capitals lost 5-4 to the Los Angeles Kings in a shootout but earned a single point thanks to rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov’s short-handed tying goal with 42 seconds left in regulation. Ryan Johansen scored twice to give the Blue Jackets a 4-2 victory over the Red Wings in Columbus, which now ties all four teams with 80 points for the two wild card spots, but Detroit and Columbus have 10 games remaining, Washington has nine games left and Toronto has eight.
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Listen to the latest edition of Leaf Buzz(with co-host John Restaino) Recorded 3/26/14
The struggles over the last couple weeks has spurred much speculation regarding the future status of the Leafs coaching staff and what effect it will have on roster decisions this summer.
TSN’s Darren Dreger stated on TSN Radio earlier in the week that the future of Randy Carlyle could be in the balance if the Leafs do not make the post-season, while other reports indicate that Carlyle may stay and that extensive roster changes are in order.
Sportsnet’s Doug Maclean on Wednesday stated on FAN 590’s Brady and Walker show Wednesday that the Leafs may consider the buyout option on winger David Clarkson after just one season.
Doug MacLean just told us there will be serious discussions from the Leafs as to buying out David Clarkson this summer for cap relief.
— Greg Brady (@bradyfan590) March 26, 2014The disappointment in Clarkson’s debut season in Toronto is understandable, especially based on the level of excitement and buildup after his free agent signing last July, but it is hard to imagine that the Leafs would take a radical step of the buyout after year one of a seven year deal.
If Toronto had a compliance buyout remaining, it would simply be a question of MLSE cutting a check for $32.25 Million, but the Leafs used the two “clean slate… buyouts on Mikhail Grabovski and Mike Komisarek last summer. A Clarkson buyout would have cap ramifications until the 2025-26 season according to CapGeek and would range from $41,667 to $3.7 Million over the next dozen years.
Courtesy of CapGeek.com
With that kind of lengthy effect on the salary cap, talk of Clarkson being bought out is a fantasy. This season has been a lost cause for the Mimico, ON native with injuries, struggles and suspensions, but GM Dave Nonis will more than likely give the winger(who turns 30 on March 31) another chance to make an impact before taking any drastic steps.
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