Opinion: The Leafs need to bring some anger to the ice
The Leafs had their 6-game winning streak snapped by the Calgary Flames last night at the Saddledome. Before getting into this article, it's important to note that the Leafs dominated possession and outchanced the Flames heavily. They fell victim to Vezina calibre goaltending from Jacob Markstrom and, unfortunately, another rough night for Jack Campbell. It happens, and I'm not worried about the team's play in general or our goaltending, I still believe in Jack Campbell.
The troublesome part for me was that the Flames really looked like they were beating up on the Leafs. Even before what I will only describe as a high hit from Nikita Zadorov, the Leafs were losing the physical battle. The Flames had an agenda from the start, come out hard, forget the puck, finish every check. If Monday's game against Carolina had a playoff feel because of the tight defence, last night's game had playoff level physicality.
This is where I worry about this team. For better or worse, the whistles go away in the playoffs and the game changes. It's not a matter of just having Wayne Simmonds in the lineup, he can't do it alone. The Leafs need to add an element of «screw you» to their game. They don't need to change their systems, or trade away good players for «tough» ones, they need to adjust their approach to the game as a team.
I'm sick of seeing the Leafs take big hits and simply skate away wincing. This team needs to start fighting back and standing up for each other. This is where Morgan Reilly's leadership can prove invaluable. When the massive Zadorov absolutely belted Ondrej Kase, Rielly flew down the ice and grabbed him. Unfortunately Mo was quickly outnumbered and wrestled down. This is why it can't be just one guy, the Leafs need the entire roster to be ready and willing to stand up for each other, because that's what their playoff opponents will have.
The playoffs are war on ice, you can't win without en element of anger. It's time for the Leafs to get angry. Bringing in a guy like Luke Schenn wouldn't hurt either.
