NASHVILLE — The Toronto Maple Leafs appeared to be in control of their fate while leading 2-1 late in the second period. However, a defensive coverage mistake allowed Adam Wilsby to walk into the Predators’ zone uncontested and fire a shot past Joseph Woll, tying the game.
In the third period, Luke Evangelista gave Nashville a lead they would not relinquish with an incredible solo effort around Toronto’s defense—a highlight-reel goal likely to be shown for years to come. The Leafs eventually fell 5-3 in what was a very winnable game, and a disappointing follow-up to one of their worst outings of the season against Washington.
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Following a loss to one of the Western Conference’s struggling teams, the defeat only intensifies the debate: are the Leafs’ problems purely mental, or is it a question of fundamental ability?
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube used the term “avoidable” to describe both of those critical Nashville goals.
“It’s mental, for sure. We’ve got to get through it. We’ve got to get over that. We’ve got to make better decisions throughout the game.” Berube said.
Toronto’s bench boss had previously noted during practice that he didn’t mind mistakes if they stemmed from aggressive play. While the Leafs did start aggressively—highlighted by Nicolas Roy scoring in his 400th NHL game on a line with Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann—that energy faded.
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“There’s definitely a shift we have to make mentally, where you never want to play ‘not to lose,’” Roy lamented after the game.
The statistics reflect this regression. While Toronto controlled 68 percent of the expected-goals share in the first period according to NaturalStatTrick.com, that number plummeted to 42 percent in the second and a dismal 22 percent in the third. Overall, the Predators outshot the Leafs 34-22. Despite the offensive slump, the club has largely stuck to a positive public message rather than identifying a specific cause
Not everyone agrees on the root cause, however. While some in the locker room admit to a mental block, the team captain took a different view.
“I think mentally we’re fine,” Auston Matthews said. “I thought tonight, as shitty as it is losing, I thought the process was better. I thought we had good energy all night”.
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Regardless of the diagnosis, the results are stark: the Maple Leafs have fallen to last place in the Atlantic Division. They must now regroup before facing a formidable Dallas Stars team on Sunday.
You often here that the NHL is a results-based business and if it’s not the mental side of it, it can only be ability. Are their top stars willing the team to success when they need to? Is Berube’s coaching method not the correct one for this group?
Time could be running out, but a win against a top Western Conference opponent like the Dallas Stars could help calm things down for a bit.
As Nick Robertson summarized the locker room sentiment: “We haven’t had that much success as of late… we’ve got to start winning some games”.
