Leafs Preparing for Home Opener

 

Photo From Daily Faceoff 

    We are two games into the season and have already seen both sides of the Leafs fanbase. On opening night in Montreal, we saw Toronto dominate the play but still end up losing 1-0 to Montreal. After this loss, fans started saying that Berube wasn’t the right coach for this team and that Toronto should have kept Sheldon Keefe, even though those same fans wanted Keefe fired all last season.

Last night, Toronto faced the New Jersey Devils in their home opener, and we saw the Leafs finally find the back of the net. Denis Hildeby backstopped Toronto to his first career win, which was also the first win for Craig Berube. In New Jersey, Toronto’s bottom-six forward group stepped up, with Pacioretty, Lorentz, and McMann all scoring. Depth scoring is something teams crave, so seeing Toronto get it this early in the season is a good sign. We have yet to see Matthews, Nylander, or Marner on the scoresheet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

With Toronto’s home opener against Pittsburgh tomorrow night, there are some early concerns. In the first two games, Toronto has been shorthanded ten times, giving up at least one goal in each game. The issue isn’t the penalty kill, which is performing well at 80% after two games. The issue is how often the Leafs are ending up shorthanded. Taking ten penalties in two games is not good, and as we all know, when you play with fire, you're going to get burned. The Leafs need to improve their discipline, or it’s going to be a long season.

On the other hand, the Leafs' power play is an early concern. So far, it’s been powerless. Their zone entries are non-existent, and when they do manage to set up in their opponent's zone, they seem to just try to pass the puck into the net. Do I think this will be how they perform with the man advantage all season? No, but something needs to change soon because this core group has had the same issue for a long time. I think Morgan Rielly should be moved to the second unit, and Ekman-Larsson should take his spot on the top unit. OEL was on the top unit for the Florida Panthers during the Stanley Cup Final, and their power play was always a threat. Toronto needs a fresh look on the power play because opponents already know that the Leafs are going to drop the puck back to a defender, and then Marner is always going to look to pass first. Rielly doesn’t have a shot that can consistently get through from the point, whereas OEL does.

Again, do I think the power play will improve? Yes, and when it does, we’ll likely look back at these first two games and think, “We overreacted again.” On Saturday against Pittsburgh, let's hope Toronto comes out ready to play. No opponent is easy, but with Stolarz in goal, this Leafs team has a strong goaltending tandem. Hopefully, the win in New Jersey will carry over, and Toronto can stay in the win column.

Thanks, as always, for reading.