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The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Dallas Stars in the final game of their two-game road trip on Tuesday, hoping to continue their hot streak of earning a point in 11 straight games against the top team in the Central Division. The Leafs were able to earn a point in Tampa on Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss, but in spite of being one of the hottest clubs in the NHL, the loss exposed some problems that have long plagued Toronto in the postseason.
The loss on Alex Killorn’s goal in OT was the first since Morgan Rielly’s knee injury where the Leafs defense had an adverse effect on the outcome of the game. Mark Giordano and Justin Holl were forced to play more than 25 minutes and rookie Mac Hollowell was on the ice when Ross Colton scored Tampa’s go-ahead power-play goal in the third. That being said, the absence of Rielly and TJ Brodie was not the main reason why Toronto came up short.
Once again, the Lightning displayed the same kind of “intangibles” that in the end led to their victory in the first round, and the Leafs came up short on those intangibles. Toronto outhit Tampa 31-20 in the contest, but their hit leaders were smallish forwards Michael Bunting and Nick Robertson (with three hits each).
Toronto may be as skilled as Tampa with their core group, the Lightning’s support players like Nick Paul, Patrick Maroon, Alex Killorn, and Corey Perry provide size and gritty sandpaper, something that Leaf depth forwards like Pierre Engvall, Alex Kerfoot, and Denis Malgin simply do not provide.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe recognizes this shortcoming in the Toronto roster, otherwise, he would not have to insert Wayne Simmonds as a security guard every time the Leafs play an aggressive adversary.
This is not to advocate GM Kyle Dubas going out and acquiring loose cannons like Ryan Reaves or Zack Kassian, but incidents like Anthony Cirelli driving the net and running into Matt Murray accidentally on purpose, Steven Stamkos doing an elbow fly-by on the Leafs goaltender, and Nikita Kucherov cross-checking Toronto players on multiple occasions would seem to require the Leafs to add players who play with snarl that can play on one of the top three lines and a defenseman with an edge.
This is a reminder to any teams out there needing defensive help that Luke Schenn is on an expiring contract that carries a $850,000 cap hit — and that he's a right-shot D playing for a non-playoff team. https://t.co/TAnlbWVXxW
Who that is and what it will cost is something that Dubas will have to determine, but it is hard to imagine that the Leafs will have a good chance to advance in a first-round matchup against the more physical Boston or Tampa without adding at least a few players that can provide more pushback.
Keefe indicated that Murray will make the start against Dallas and that rookie Semyon Der-Argushintsev will make his NHL debut playing the right side on the fourth line with Zach Aston-Reese and Pontus Holmberg.
Conor Timmins will make his Leafs debut playing on the bottom pairing with Victor Mete, taking the spot of Hollowell.