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Update: Horrendous in Philly, Shore “jets” off to the Peg; Leafs vs Avs

December 4, 2019, 1:52 PM ET [502 Comments]
Mike Augello
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UPDATE - Mitch Marner has been activated off of LTIR, Nic Petan and Martin Marincin have been sent down to the Toronto Marlies, and Trevor Moore has been shifted to LTIR to make room for Marner under the cap.

Sheldon Keefe indicated before the game that Frederik Andersen will get the start vs. Colorado.

"(Andersen) came to us after the game yesterday and he wants to be in a fight with the guys today. He didn't like how yesterday went, particularly the fashion that the game finished, and just overall with his play and our team's play." Keefe said. "We've challenged our group here to respond positively today."


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There are losses and there are losses that leave a bad taste in your mouth. Had the Toronto Maple Leafs gone down to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday, giving up the game-winning goal 72 seconds after tying the game midway through the third period, an insurance goal late in regulation and an empty netter, it would have been considered just a run of the mill bad road effort. The Leafs made it more like a massacre by allowing the Flyers to pile on two more goals on goalie Frederik Andersen.

“We still had a couple minutes left, but we let in that empty-net goal. We can’t just fold like that.” Auston Matthews said after the game. “It’s unacceptable to do that to our starting goalie, a guy that’s stolen games for us. He’s been a brick wall for us all year. That’s just unacceptable on our part. We can’t just fold, that’s unacceptable, we just (hung) him out to dry.”

The 6-1 loss to Philadelphia is only the second under Sheldon Keefe, but coming days after a lackadaisical effort in a loss to Buffalo, the new head coach needed to address the club after the game.



“Normally I would not go in after a loss or a game like this, but I felt like it was important to address that situation. We want to be a team of high character and that cares for one another and I thought we just left our goaltender completely out to dry there and stopped playing.” Keefe said. “That’s not a good sign for our group, but hopefully it is the shakeup that we would need. I think as I look back on the game as that third period is unfolding, I think we saw two different teams. One that has kind of figured out how to win and know what their recipe is and another on our side that’s trying to find its way. I think that’s the difference in the game.”

Travis Dermott scored his third of the season for Toronto, Andersen made 23 saves on the night, and veteran Jason Spezza(who was inserted on the wing with Ilya Mikheyev and John Tavares) was easily the Leafs most effective forward, assisting on Dermott’s goal and winning six of seven faceoffs, but the effort from most of the club was wholly inadequate, especially in the defensive zone.



The most noticeable issue in both the loss to the Sabres and Flyers has been the lack of defensive attentiveness of the top line of Matthews, Andreas Johnsson, and William Nylander.

The Leafs leading scorer was -3 for the second time in three games and primarily responsible for Scott Laughton’s opening goal, as Matthews bad positioning allowed Kevin Hayes to drive to the Toronto net. Nylander was -4 for the second time in three games and played a large part in the defensive zone breakdown that led to Claude Giroux’s game-winner.



Matthews size and incredible shot makes him one of the most dangerous scorers in the NHL, but the 22-year-old has yet to show any development at being a two-way center. Nylander’s playmaking makes him a good compliment to Matthews, but the pair may need someone defensively responsible like Zach Hyman to provide some support.

The Leafs play the second of back-to-back games against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, and since the club did not hold a morning skate, it is unknown whether Keefe will make any lineup changes. The plan on Monday was to go with Andersen against the Flyers and Michael Hutchinson against the Avs, but since Hutchinson took to the ice at Scotiabank Arena Wednesday morning, there is some speculation that Andersen may go in back ends of the back-to-back.

There also has not been any announcement made about Mitch Marner being activated. TSN’s Bob McKenzie indicated on Tuesday that Toronto would have to reduce their roster by three to be able to fit Marner’s salary under the cap. The first step was taken with forward Nick Shore being placed on waivers, and on Wednesday the 27-year-old was claimed by the Winnipeg Jets.

GM Kyle Dubas must clear two more players to make room, and recently recalled defenseman Martin Marincin, forward Nic Petan, and rookie Pierre Engvall can be demoted without having to go through waivers.

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