Maple Leaf’s 6-2 Loss to Blue Jackets

If you are a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, the best way to describe their loss to the Blue Jackets is ugly. Moreover, it was ugly and difficult to watch from beginning to end. The Maple Leafs’ 6-2 defeat was potentially a wake-up call after a series of strong performances. Will they rebound or could this be the start of a trend in the wrong direction? What were Toronto’s good, bad, and ugly parts of the game?

The Bad: The Maple Leafs’ First Line & Goaltending

Would that be considered a bad start if you give up six goals on 24 shots in the first half of a game? Was it a letdown from the night before? The Tampa game might have been the most dominant game this year’s Maple Leafs have played. This game was by far the worst.

The Maple Leafs’ lousy play starts at the top of their food chain. The number one line of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies was all minus-three in the game. Three of the top four defensemen for the Maple Leafs were also minus three. Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson all had the negative triplicate.

Matthews especially looked off all night. He continuously fought the puck, lost it off his stick, and fumbled with it. He struggled to perform basic plays.

Hildeby Had a Tough Night in the Crease for the Maple Leafs

Taking stock of the goals Toronto gave up, four of the six came off the Blue Jackets rush. Two were off rebounds.

Three goals seemed to go right through Dennis Hildeby, who made just his second NHL start. In his defense, it was just his second start in 11 days. However, that is something all backup goalies have to deal with. Also, I don’t know what Hildeby’s usual routine is before each start, but it was thought that Joseph Woll would get the start. Hildeby said he had learned the day before that he would be starting in Columbus. He seemed shaky right off the start.

Looking up Hildeby’s game log in the AHL last season, I see he gave up six goals twice. Both times, he followed those games up with shaky outings, giving up four and five goals immediately after the six-goal games. But then he settled down, allowing one or fewer goals in two or three games afterward. That was in a situation where he was the number-one goalie, though, not a backup with days between starts. This is an entirely new situation for Hildeby.

Regarding goalies, it is disturbing that the team keeps putting off Woll’s return. I read the problem is with his groin, which can be an injury that lingers for a long time, especially if it is continually aggravated.

Speaking of injuries, Max Pacioretty left the game late in the second period after suffering what was announced as a lower-body injury. Craig Berube stated the extent of the injury was unknown following the game.

The Good: Matthew Knies & Nick Robertson

While I had to dig deep to find anything bad or ugly in the Tampa game, I had to dig equally deep to find anything good about this one.

Matthew Knies scored a nice goal in a solo play. He won a battle for the puck with Damon Severson behind the Columbus net, walked out front, fought off a check from Justin Danforth, spun, and fired a wrist shot over Blue Jackets’ goalie Daniil Tarasov’s blocker into the net. Nick Robertson was finally rewarded for his efforts. He scored his first goal and point of the season.

Interestingly, players further down the order were an overall positive in the game. John Tavares and Conor Timmins were both plus-two, and Robertson was plus-one.

As terrible as this game was, it was the first time in seven games that the Maple Leafs have played a bad game. They were the better team statistically in the two other losses and just got “goalied.” Seeing how they bounce back in their next game will be interesting.

What’s Next for Toronto?

The Maple Leafs get one day to digest this game, figure out what went wrong, and make corrections. On Thursday night, they are home to Berube’s former team, the St. Louis Blues. Toronto seemed to abandon Berube’s “defense first” strategy in Columbus. We’ll see if they can get back to that against the Blues.

Related: The Good, Bad & Ugly in Maple Leafs’ 5-2 Win Over Lightning