No Worries

 Game 44: Jets vs. Leafs

Simon B

The Leafs have lost two straight games and were by far the inferior team in both losses against the Canadiens and the Flames. But I've noticed a real sense of calm throughout Leafs Nation -- a calm that I’ve never seen before -- and it's a weird feeling. I'm so used to all of Toronto's sports media exploding after a single loss. That was because previous Leaf teams were so inconsistent and unpredictable that the exaggerated reactions were somewhat understandable. This year, the fanbase has a real sense of confidence in this team to bounce back from little slumps here and there. Coming into last night's game against the Jets, the Leafs had a tough lineup situation to work with. Auston Matthews was not in the lineup (the team didn't say why at the time I'm posting this) and William Nylander is still out under Covid protocol. Adam Brooks and Jason Spezza were slotted back into the lineup on the fourth line and with Matthews out, the top line was Marner - Galchenyuck - Tavares. Jack Campbell got the start. The Game

The first period started with two grade-A scoring chances on both ends. The Jets had the puck in the corner and it was centered to Paul Statsny who was stopped point-blank by Campbell. That first save is always important for a goalie because it really gets his head into the game. At the other end, the new-look first line was breaking in, and JT made a pass to Marner who put a nice cross-seam pass onto the stick of Galchenyuck. He shot and everyone thought it went in except the referee who signaled no goal and the play moved on. However, when officials looked back at it on the replay, it was clear that Galch had beaten Hellebuyck on his blocker side to make it 1-0.

The Jets got a power-play about halfway through the first. A defensive zone faceoff loss by Spezza led to a scramble in the middle of the Leafs’ zone. Winnipeg got it to the point and Nickolaj Ehlers fired a shot through traffic in front of Campbell to tie the game up with 9 minutes to go in the period. Less than a minute later, the Jets were on the breakout and a really sloppy job by the Leafs coming back gave Mark Scheifele a perfect opportunity to get a pass across to Kyle Connor. Connor shot it low glove-side on Campbell and just like that, I started to get nervous because Toronto was looking discombobulated.

Soon after, things got even worse. More miscommunication between the defense and offense meant that Mark Scheifele could get behind all 5 Leafs on the ice. As a defenceman, I can tell you that that's hockey 101: NEVER let an opposing player between you and the net. Well, as expected, Scheifele got a breakaway and made no mistake patiently outwaiting Campbell to put the Jets up by 2. The score would not evolve until the second.

For the first time this season, I can say that Jack Campbell was not very good in the first period. He let in three goals on the last three shots he faced and he really wasn't looking comfortable in the crease. Sheldon Keefe decided to make a goaltending change for the second and newly acquired Dave Rittich was back in net for the second straight game.

Let's talk a bit about Nick Robertson. He was incredible for the Peterborough Petes last season before the pandemic hit. Then the Leafs were looking for some fresh blood going into the Playoff Bubble series against the Blue Jackets. Robertson's first NHL experience was in a "bubble" in August with no fans in the building and it was only a play-in series. That's got to be a weird way to begin your NHL career. However, the California native thrived under the spotlight of being the Leaf's highest-rated prospect. He scored his first NHL goal in the series and looked amazing throughout. He was injured for most of this season but came back to the lineup last week and is slowly coming back to form.

Robertson finally made an impact. Using his incredible speed, Robertson dashed through the neutral zone and put the puck into the corner for his linemate Jason Spezza. Since the Leafs were in the middle on a change, Tavares was on the ice with them. JT drove the net and Spezza centered to him and swatted it home to bring the Leafs back to within one. The period wouldn't have much more action and they would go into the third down 3-2 to the team closest behind them in the standings.

Almost the entire third period, the Leafs completely dominated possession and the number of scoring chances. At one point the shots were 10-1 in favor of Toronto. But in hockey, you win by outscoring your opponent...not simply out-shooting them. And Winnipeg did just that. Marner had the puck at the Jets blue line and was pressured back by Nick Ehlers. In a foot race for the puck, Ehlers outmuscled Marner and chased down the puck that was rolling towards the net. Dave Rittich came out to play the puck but Ehlers beat him to it and poked it through his legs to double the Jets lead.

The rest of the period for the Leafs was a difficult grind where they came so close so many times but couldn't get the puck past Hellebuyck (I've said that more than a few times this year). You know the feeling when you lose something behind the couch or between the car seat and the armrest so you try to get it back by squeezing your arm in the tight space? You can feel the object you lost but you just can't grab it? That was basically what it felt like to watch the end of this game. I could see how hard the Leafs were trying, but deep down I knew they weren't going to win this one. I was right, and the Leafs have now dropped their third straight.

The Wrap

The Leafs will have plenty of chances to avenge this loss because they play the Jets 3 times in the next week. However, their next game is in jeopardy. The Leafs are scheduled to play the Canucks on Saturday night and again on Monday. The Canucks have had a massive Covid outbreak hit them and they haven't played a single game in a few weeks. The game is still not postponed, but the odds of them playing it are pretty slim. If they end up not playing on the weekend, then the whole schedule will be mixed up and who knows who they'll play when.

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