The Maple Leafs still have control. You cannot allow old demons to reappear

Ottawa – “The past is the past,” said Brad Treliving, General Manager of Maple Leafs, on the eve of the night season. “This is another group.”

And now you can prove it.

The Maple Leafs came only briefly with their first chance to eliminate the Ottawa senators in game 4 on Saturday, and lost in extra time.

It was another tight game – the third time in a row that worked in overtime – and a game that was mainly lost in special teams. It was also the kind of game that the Leafs have repeatedly lost over the years.

“I don’t think this was the case this evening,” said head coach Craig Berube when he was asked whether there was another example of the faulty history of the team in elimination games. “I thought our team played extremely hard and did a lot of great things. We gave up four shots in two periods. I thought we defended hard and played hard. The bounces were going in one way or another. I am not too concerned about it. I thought our team would be ready.”

Elimination games were a problem in the era of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and John Tavares.

In 12 attempts, their Leafs only won a single excretion game that goes back to 2019. It explains a lot about the post -season mistakes, maybe everything. This team could not win the big game often enough.

This one victory came against Tampa Bay in the first round in 2023. Tavares won him in the extension of game 6 for the Leafs.

The most devastating all of these results came in 2021 when the Leafs could not conclude with a 3-1 series with three chances. They lost the games 5 and 6 in extra time and then fell flat again at home in game 7.

Lose the 5th game 5 in Toronto on Tuesday evening and the clouds of this series will reappear.

However, these Leafs still have full control. While each of the last three games could have been in both directions, they remain more talented after a lot of talentation, and the team that has checked most of the series.

Ottawa led for about 35 minutes compared to 115 for the Leafs.

“Obviously we knew that it would be difficult to get in here,” said Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who entered this series in game 4 for the second time. “There are some things that we did really well, and some things that we have to clean up as always. I like our place here.”

What has to be tidied up? Discipline at the beginning.

When he took part in the first period for a defensive zone, Max Domi Shane Pinto and pulled a horror that led directly to the first goal of the Sens.

The Leafs took 13 penalties in games 2 to 4 compared to 10 for their opponent.

At the moment, it is particularly important that the penalty in a broadcast from the second half of the regular season was increasingly a problem: the Leafs have only killed 66.7 percent of Ottawa’s power games in the last three games (6- on-9).

Simon Benoit was just missing in game 4 in front of Tim Stutzle’s unique power play explosion, as well as Anthony Stolanz.

In the meantime, the Leaf Power Play, which was so dominant in the first three games in the series, was not in game 4. There was the short-handed goal that Pinto after a series of lost board fights in the Ottawa zone and a failed attempt to keep the puck from Marner, sneaked in a outlier. Later a four-minute gift of a power play came in overtime (without tavares), in which the Leafs generated five shots (plus a post in a Matthews attempt), but did not score a goal.

You could have ended the series exactly then and there and cannot miss such opportunities in game 5.

Another thing that has to change: more options for No. 2 line with Nylander and tavares.

The top line of Matthews, Marner and Matthew Knies logged in game 4 a team high of almost 16 minutes and rightly so because they were a force. But the line, which was second in the ice age, was not that with Nylander and Tavares on it.

No, it was the most defensive trio of Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz and Calle Järnkrok, who registered for over 13 minutes.

Too much.

Tavares, Nylander and Pontus Holmberg only played 8.5 minutes. Add in the almost four minutes that Bobby McMmann spent a place on the line in Holmberg’s place, and the unit was still playing less than Laughtons crew.

Laughthon logged almost 18.5 minutes at five against five. That was more than Matthews (18:04), Nylander (16:48) and Tavares (15:19). Tavares missed a large part of the overtime after he was drilled by Artem ZUB in front of the Ottawa network, but still.

Laughton should not register the third heights five for five minutes of a leaf striker he did in game 4.

At the end of the regulation, Nylander had only played 15.5 minutes, one knock less than tavares, which was only 16 out of 16 years. In one night when Nylander rolled, and probably the most dangerous player in the Leafs – with two main provision and six shots in 10 attempts.

William Nylander was probably the most dangerous player in game 4, but had only played for 15.5 minutes until the end of the regulation. (Marc Desrosier / Imagn Pictures)

It was one thing in the minutes earlier in the series, but not now when the Leafs have the chance to exclude things. Berube has to charge the minutes – not only for Nylander, but also for Matthews, who was less than 19 minutes until the end of the regulation.

At a time in the first period, Berube pulled the Matthews line off when the opportunity for an offensive zone faceoff took place and instead the Domi had a third line, which ended in his own defense.

The trainer of the Leafs should allow his stars to surpass this team.

Of course, these stars have to deliver when it counts. They were involved in game 4 in this way and ultimately scored all three goals in defeat in one way or another.

The Leafs now need more of them when the series withdraws to Toronto.

Berube should adhere to the changes that he made in the third period of game 4, namely the Holmberg coating against Mcmann in this second line. McMmann brought some juice into the unit and looked after the action.

If you hold him there, Domi also sends back to the wing.

The Domi-led third line again fought powerfully in game 4 and won 5.8 percent of the expected goals in their 6.5 minutes. Not good. During their time there was 16-6 for Ottawa during their time. The Sens extended the group repeatedly in the transition, including the David Perron goal, which brought the Leafs back in the third period.

Max Pacioretty saw a step behind the pace in his second game. Berube could consider bringing Nick Robertson back to game 5, if only the chance that he will score a goal when he returned to the line -up.

The Leafs don’t have to repeat the past. As Treliving said, this is another group – until it is different.

– Statistics and research with the friendly approval of natural statistics and hockey reference

(Top Photo: Marc Desrosiers-Mimagn Pictures)