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Let’s face it, last night’s game was not very pretty to watch for Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
But should anyone really be surprised?
As we’ve discussed perhaps a few too many times this year, the Toronto Maple Leafs have arguably made it difficult on themselves to win a hockey game due to the number of shots which they allowed. While my intention for this blog is not to rehash this particular debate with respect to this club, fans and pundits alike should have ultimately come to the consensus that these shot totals will likely allow for a few too many bad losses.
Here’s the thing - Toronto plays a certain style which can allow their game to go either way, on just about any given night. With respect to most of their wins, the goaltending and defense were good, or at least the goaltending was great. Provided the team receives the aforementioned, their odds of winning said game increases dramatically, given that they possess some of the league’s top scorers and have no issue finding the back of the net.
Conversely, when the team only receives good and not fantastic goaltending in addition to some lackadaisical effort from their defense, the end result is much like we saw last night. As many point out, the Leafs have been allowing a very high number of shot totals all year, and they currently sit with a record of 35-24-8. That said, you would imagine that if it were a bigger problem that the team would be suffering in terms of the position in the standings, no?
As I mentioned, the team has been receiving some phenomenal goaltending from Jon Bernier this year, and while the defense hasn’t been great, when he’s on his game, they seem to get a boost in confidence as well. So where does this leave the debate? Well it should be clear to most by now that if the Leafs are wanting to become a more complete team, they will need to improve the odds of winning games by decreasing their shot totals. And while it sounds as simple as that, this can be a rather difficult feat for this group to overcome.
What I have come to conclude at this point in the year, is that the team and it’s coaching staff have become over confident in their goaltending and as such, feel that their best chance is to allow the netminder to make the save rather than getting in the way. While Toronto is still atop the league in terms of blocked shots, they are still allowing a ton of shots to get through but moreso, shots to be taken. As such, their style which was rather apparent last night to let players take shots from the perimeters, is getting a little too far out of hand.
The problem with what they are doing, at least in my opinion, is the simple fact that they are sticking much too close to a possible game plan of allowing weaker shots from the outside to be taken. While this can be a good strategy to an extent, what it allows is the chance for pucks to be redirected, rebounds to be scooped up, or melees in front of the net, so to speak.
Last night displayed a little of all these possibilities. With 48 shots on net and James Reimer not playing to the same level as his counterpart of late, pucks were often available in the crease, deflected in, or screened. Toronto is going to have to find a way to limit the number of shots they allow to get through by either playing a more aggressive defensive style, or by trying to block even more shots than they have been, and we all know that isn’t a perfect solution either.
Provided that Bernier and at times Reimer can play to an elite level, this team has every chance to succeed in this league. However, the moment that the goaltending isn’t superb or the defense allow far too many shots on net, the team opens themselves up to chances of pucks finding their way through bodies and in the back of the net.
I feel that the team’s best opportunity at improving upon said issue would be, as mentioned, to try and play an aggressive system in their own end. By treating their defensive 5vs5 systems similar to a penalty kill where the top man places constant pressure on the puck carrier, it could cause more turnovers from their opponents and reduce shot attempts.
Whether or not my suggestion would hold much water is not really important, however I can assure you that Randy Carlyle cannot be happy with games like last night, even though it was a back to back road game against another tough Western Conference team.
If this organization truly wants to compete with the top teams in the NHL, there is simply nothing left to be said other than the shot differentials which they have allowed, will hold them back.
Thanks for reading!