"The head coach called his club's patently poor effort against Chicago a "character win" after the Maple Leafs pulled a rabbit out of their hat late in the third period on Tuesday. If that's the standard for a "character" effort, perhaps it's little surprise that the Leafs were out-worked and out-played in every facet of the game tonight against a far superior opponent."
"There was actually an opportunity for the Leafs to take an early lead in this game, as, against the odds, they drew an early penalty call in the defensive zone despite the top line kicking off their night with a tepid shift that included an icing. The power play really should've scored when Easton Cowan missed a great backdoor look. But otherwise, the top unit continued to embarrass itself despite three first-period opportunities."
The Maple Leafs delivered a patently poor effort despite a late third-period comeback. The power play went 0-for-5 and the team sits near the bottom of the league on the man-advantage, dead last in power-play goals. Special-teams execution featured predictable entries, no set plays, minimal motion, and little shooting intent, while the power play was regularly outworked in puck battles. The penalty kill steadied the special-teams battle, but at five-on-five the Leafs generated only four high-danger chances and were outscored 4-0, unable to sustain zone time or effective checking without the puck.
Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove
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