The Toronto Maple Leafs appeared befuddled following their 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Air Canada Center, but the reasons why the club has started the season 0-2 are not unfamiliar.
“When the tide of the game swung so hard against our hockey club that we didn’t have much of a response.… Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said following the game. “You look to those big guys on your team to be able to grab it back for you and right now…….in these two games, they’ve had some difficulty doing that.…
Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Sutter scored goals for the Penguins, who scored three straight power play goals that were the difference in the game.
Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak scored for Toronto but the Leafs performance was an all-to-familiar sequel of many games from late last season, as Pittsburgh controlled the puck, won the majority of battles along the boards and capitalized on Leafs giveaways.
Jonathan Bernier faced 41 shots on goal and allowed a weak opening goal to Hornqvist (acquired over the summer from Nashville in a deal for winger James Neal) on a bad angle shot, but the opportunity was caused by defensemen Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner’s inability to get the puck out of the defensive zone.
Pittsburgh increased their lead on the power play just 60 seconds later, as Crosby deftly converted a Kris Letang shot off the end boards past a stunned Bernier. Toronto added to their woes as minors to Peter Holland and Daniel Winnik gave the Penguins a lengthy two-man advantage and their power play converted once again as Kunitz deflected a Crosby shot to make it 3-0 after 20 minutes.
After a David Clarkson goal was disallowed for being tipped with a high stick, the Leafs got on the board early in the middle frame as Lupul converting a Rielly slap pass past Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, but the Pens squelched any momentum later in the middle frame as Malkin scored as Toronto was short-handed for too-many-men.
The third period saw Carlyle shuffle the Leafs mostly ineffective forward lines, as Phil Kessel was replaced by Clarkson on the top line with Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk and placed on the right side with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul, but the shift did not effect the course of the game, as Sutter added to the Pens lead with an even strength goal and Bozak responded with a power play marker.
In spite of all the roster and coaching changes made over the summer, the Leafs through two games are showing the same problems with puck possession and giveaways that plagued the club that lost 12 of their last 14 games last season.
Bernier has not been sharp early in his two starts, the veteran additions of Stephane Robidas and Roman Polak were expected to compensate for the youth, inexperience and defensive shortcomings of Gardiner and Rielly, but the young blueliners have been paired together due to Cody Franson’s injury and are -3 in the first two games.
The most noticeable problem has been the performance of the core players, who were untouched by the Brendan Shanahan organizational purge last summer. Top forwards Kessel and van Riemsdyk have not registered a point, the newly signed Gardiner continues to make decisions in his own zone and Phaneuf has looked uncomfortable in being shifted to the left side after playing most of his time with the Leafs on the right side.
Kessel in particular looks out of sync after missing the last two games of the preseason with an undisclosed lower body injury.
“We didn’t play that great,… Kessel said following the game. “My line in particular again we didn’t get s**t done.…
The Leafs leading scorer opened himself up for criticism early in training camp with comments about skating little over the summer, especially when more was expected in the first year of an eight-year, $64 Million contract extension.
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According to Sportsnet’s Damien Cox, trade rumors regarding Joffrey Lupul continue to percolate. The 31-year-old winger is in year two of a five-year deal making $5.25 Million per season and with the escalating prices for scoring forwards throughout the league, Lupul could be an attractive commodity that would bring back a healthy return in a deal.
Cox indicated that Lupul’s name was in the mix in the aborted Josh Gorges deal with Montreal(as was Cody Franson) and that the LA Kings kicked tires on the winger at the trade deadline, but opted to give up two draft picks and current Leaf Matt Frattin to Columbus for Marian Gaborik, rather than a deal with Toronto that involved Scarborough native Tyler Toffoli. *******
There will be no rest for the Leafs, as they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. With games in back-to-back nights and Bernier not playing stellar thus far, it is likely that James Reimer will get the start on Broadway.
Cody Franson did not dress on Saturday in spite of indications at the morning skate that he was ready to get back into the lineup. If Franson is inserted back into the lineup, Carlyle may opt to sit Gardiner and send a message rather than rookie Stuart Percy, who looked sharp once again in his second career NHL start, assisting on Bozak’s third period goal.
Henrik Lundquist will start in goal for New York.
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