One Concerning Stat From the Leafs' 6-2 Loss to Columbus Has Left Sour Taste in the Mouths of Fans
The Toronto Maple Leafs turned in a stinker of an effort on Tuesday in Columbus and one stat in particular has left a sour taste in the mouths of the fans.
This was definitely one of those games where the Maple Leafs might look back on in April and wonder what went wrong. They let two points slip against an expected basement-dwelling team in the Columbus Blue Jackets and it wasn't even close after a fantastic showing the night before against Tampa Bay.
Dennis Hildeby was shelled in his first career loss at the NHL level, but it was tough sailing after going down 3-0 at the end of the first period and 5-0 by the midway mark of the game.
To make matters worse, the Maple Leafs' top line and best defensive players combined for a ghastly minus-18 rating. Of course, it could just be a blip in what is always a long and arduous regular season, but for players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies, Chris Tanev, Morgan Rielly, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to come out that flat, it's a little concerning.
On the bright side, Conor Timmins and John Tavares were surprisingly a plus-2 on the night, and Nick Robertson scored his first of the season at the midway mark of the third period. The former captain added an assist in 17:31 TOI, while the surprisingly-reliable Timmins added a hit and 2 blocked shots in his 17:23 TOI.
The Maple Leafs won't have much time to sulk as they return home to welcome the St. Louis Blues, in what should be a spirited affair on Thursday evening, considering the fact that St. Louis was Craig Berube's most recent stomping grounds before his arrival in Toronto.
If the players weren't already jazzed up to rectify their horrible outing in Columbus, they might have even more reason on Thursday night against the Blues, Matthews specifically. He registered just 2 shots on goal, had 9 shots missing the net or blocked, and looked a little uninspired at times last night.
Look for a better outing on Thursday night and perhaps a few line changes after Max Pacioretty exited last night's contest with a lower-body injury.
