Maple Leafs Utterly Embarrassed in First Period Vs. Devils; Now Own Unfortunate Season Record
The Toronto Maple Leafs embarrassed themselves on Tuesday evening in New Jersey and now hold an unwanted season record for their disastrous first period against the Devils.
Currently on a two-game losing streak, the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped back-to-back contests to the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins this past weekend.
As if things couldn't get worse, they hit a new low in their game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, where they became the first team this season to achieve a downright discouraging feat.
As per Leafslatest on X:
For a team boasting superstars like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares, this statistic is simply unacceptable.
What makes this even worse is that this disastrous first period occurred against former coach Sheldon Keefe, who had publicly criticized the Leafs' upper management before the game. That context makes the performance even more painful.
Were it not for New Jersey native Anthony Stolarz holding down the fort, the Leafs could have surrendered a number of goals in the first frame, perhaps even putting the game out of reach before it began. However, thanks to Stolarz's tremendous play, the Leafs were able to remain in the hunt after 20 minutes.
On a positive note, the Maple Leafs are still having a solid season overall, sitting at 16-9-2, good for second place in the Atlantic Division. However, if this slump continues, their position amongst the best teams in the league will surely be in question.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 10 | 2108 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Utterly Embarrassed in First Period Vs. Devils; Now Own Unfortunate Season Record Will the Maple Leafs eclipse the 105-point mark this season? | ||
| Yes | 1300 | 61.7 % |
| No | 808 | 38.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
