The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost six of their last seven games, with all six defeats coming in regulation time. The slump has dropped the team to seventh place in the Atlantic Division with an 8-10-2 record through 20 games, a worse start than last season when they finished 28th overall. Captain Auston Matthews said players need to look in the mirror and demand more from themselves. The team hosts the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
"Guys gotta look in the mirror and just ask a little bit more of themselves and take on a little bit more," said Matthews, the club's leading scorer. Rookie Easton Cowan said the team is trying to stick together through the early adversity. "Little adversity here, quarter of the way into the season. So, better deal with it. Better to deal with it now than later. So, just got to keep pushing, keep sticking together," Cowan said.
The Maple Leafs' most pressing issue is their play at even strength. No Eastern Conference team has given up more goals at 5-on-5, with 50 against. Underlying metrics show the team struggles with controlling play, possession and defensive zone coverage. This weakness has combined with a special teams drop-off, as the Leafs have allowed eight power-play goals while scoring only one in their past eight games.
Coach Jim Hiller said the team needs more players to step up, particularly from its younger contributors. "We need guys to step up," Hiller announced during the club's current 0-4 homestand. "That's the bottom line. You need your top players to continue and then you need help from underneath, whether it's Gavin McKenna or Cowboy Easton Cowan or I could go down the lineup." Cowan is tied for third on the team with 14 even-strength points, while 18-year-old McKenna leads all rookies with 13 points.
The team's secondary scoring has been lacking, with several veteran role players not on pace for more than eight goals this season. The defence corps, the oldest in the NHL, is allowing a division-worst 3.45 goals per game. Key veterans like Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe have been injured or inconsistent. Only defenceman Troy Stecher has a plus rating among the team's top six blueliners.
In goal, Sergei Bobrovsky has three wins in 13 starts and has allowed three or more goals in 12 of those appearances. Backup Anthony Stolarz has a 5-2 record. The team's overall save percentage of .883 ranks 21st in the league. The goaltending tandem, the oldest in the NHL, operates behind a struggling defence. Matthews said the extended offseason he had due to a March knee injury has helped him return to top form physically. He has 11 goals and 28 points, ranking sixth in the league in both categories, and is a plus-9.
William Nylander is producing near a 100-point pace but is a minus-7. Both he and John Tavares missed significant time in the first quarter with lower-body injuries. The team's top line, centred by Matthews with Jack Roslovic, remains elite, as does the power play when it is scoring. Kind Karma reported this week that the team placed forward Colton Sissons on injured reserve as it deals with multiple player absences. The Maple Leafs next play Thursday at home against the Minnesota Wild.
