The Toronto Maple Leafs proceed to be surrounded by drama, even with Mitch Marner off in Vegas playing well for the Golden Knights. Nevertheless, effort and exertions continues to be an issue for the Maple Leafs. Possibly Mitch Marner wasn’t the issue in spite of everything. As a substitute, they ran him out, and so they are seeing possibly the team will at all times play a certain way and won’t change.
On Saturday night, after the Maple Leafs lost 4-3 in time beyond regulation to the Seattle Kraken goaltender Anthony Stolarz called out the team’s effort with reference to how they played not only in regulation, but in the additional session, especially on the game-winning goal.
“I mean a number of guys have been here for some time,” Stolarz told the media on Saturday. “You realize time beyond regulation, you possibly can’t let someone be up the ice there and gets a transparent cut breakaway. I mean, minute left, you ought to be on the ice in that situation, you set to work hard. Set to work back and price us a degree there.”
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Again, since it is Toronto, things got blown out of proportion, but he was right concerning the way Auston Matthews and William Nylander defended on Josh Mahura’s game-winning goal. Mahura began the play in his own zone behind the web and goaltender Joey Daccord.
How could each Matthews and Nylander let Mahura skate the puck up and play give and go together with Jordan Eberle on the blue line, before scoring the game-winner on Stolarz. There was a number of puck watching by each Nylander and Matthews. Nylander tried, however the previous offensive rush took something out of him.
So it begs the query as to why Nylander didn’t change if he was that drained when Mahura had the puck behind his net to regroup? Same for Matthews?
It is identical old story for the Toronto Maple Leafs relating to compete and energy. Exertions beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. It is evident as day. The highest players don’t need to get into the dirty areas on the ice. They need to play perimeter hockey after which ask why they lose when it matters most.
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While Marner deserved a few of the blame, individuals are seeing he took greater than he deserved when it got here to the Maple Leafs struggles. This team continuously needs a kick within the pants so as to perform and play the correct way. That is a difficulty that has gone on for years, long before Craig Berube got there, and he can’t fix it.
But we shouldn’t be talking concerning the same issues yearly with the Maple Leafs. Eventually, the teachings must have been learned. The potential is there to win, right? Stolarz thinks so.
“You go searching and we have now it: The youth, the grit, the grind. We now have those self same intangibles and that’s why I feel so keen about it,” Stolarz said on Monday to the media. “We took them to seven games last 12 months, we were right there with the champs. We’re on the cusp of great things, we can do it and go all the way in which.”
Stolarz, who just signed his recent extension with the club, won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. So he knows what it takes to win. There may be an effort that is required every night so as to accomplish the goal of lifting the Stanley Cup.
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He shouldn’t must be the one who puts his teammates on notice after which must clean it up since the players can’t take criticism. But that has been the issue since this core has gotten together. Players and coaches have needed to walk a nice line about upsetting the “Core 4.”
Remember former coach Sheldon Keefe, who now coaches the Latest Jersey Devils, the Maple Leafs’ opponent on Tuesday, walked back comments he made concerning the effort his players were showing. Did he have to try this in Latest Jersey? Nope. Why is it essential in Toronto? Comments like Stolarz and Keefe grow to be drama because some players can’t take constructive criticism.
Now, Stolarz, Nylander, and Matthews, together with Berube needed to talk concerning the comments the goaltender made on Saturday as a substitute of the best way to grow to be a greater team. It’s a story, but it surely shouldn’t be. Todd McLellan’s comments after Game 1 lit a hearth under his Detroit Red Wings players. That might have backfired.
No person knows what Stolarz’s comments could do because they needed to speak it out and say all the pieces is sweet, “we’re a family, we push one another to be higher.” And the Toronto Maple Leafs absolutely should be higher. They’re off to an okay start, but at the very least Stolarz owned his play on the ice; the opposite two players didn’t really discuss it an excessive amount of.
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It’ll be interesting to see how the Toronto Maple Leafs come out and play on Tuesday night against the Devils. Something has to alter. The trouble must be higher from everyone, including Stolarz. It’s time to back up his comments and never allow them to be a distraction.
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