"We got burned on it. We forced pucks when we didn't need to and turned them over. They came at us, and as we've talked about, they're a talented and good rush team. They capitalized on their opportunities. More than anything, that is what it boils down to. I just felt like we were disconnected at times getting through the neutral zone. It cost us."
"There were a lot of good things tonight, too. We had a lot of good opportunities and offensive-zone time. We didn't capitalize on them well enough, obviously. If you don't take care of the puck and don't take care of certain teams' tendencies, you can get burned by it. That is what happened tonight."
"I don't think it's an effort thing. Guys worked hard. I thought we competed. Just when breakdowns happen and mistakes happen, they're too big,"
"I think it's more a cerebral thing than an effort thing."
Blue Jackets repeatedly penetrated the Maple Leafs' offensive zone with little resistance, producing a decisive victory while the Maple Leafs struggled to defend the rush. John Tavares scored his 500th career goal and Nick Robertson added a third-period marker; Sammy Blais scored in his season debut. Coach Berube said turnovers and forced pucks led to being burned and described disconnection through the neutral zone. Berube noted some positive offensive-zone time but criticized failure to capitalize. Captain Auston Matthews called the problems more cerebral than effort-based. The rush-defense issue remains the team's primary concern through 11 games.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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