Maple Leafs don’t lose focus after another disappointed predator loss – Hockey Writer – Toronto Maple Leaf

Fans even Toronto Maple Leaf were disappointed with their game a week ago after losing to the Ottawa Senator. After playing at 1-4-1 during that time, the frustration was certainly shown, and Captain Auston Matthews was the first to give a straightforward assessment of this team because they needed to “through our minds.”

Head coach Craig Berube responded that his team lacked urgency and demonstrated the importance of playing tough games, especially in the playoffs. A week later, Maple Leaf responded, looking like they had discovered their own game, and during that time, their urgency and intensity were much better.

However, the loss is a 5-2 win over the No. 30-ranked Nashville Predators suggests that the team still has a lot of knowledge about maintaining consistency and urgency. Due to their poor defensive performance, this is a problem in the tough game, which is obvious in this loss because the error is serious and the entire game lacks intensity.

Leaves need news to sink into

It’s obvious that the Maple Leafs haven’t played at the playoff level before even in the deadline acquisition. There is a lack of execution efforts in all three areas, and a disappointing result, they don’t have the kind of disappointing results that other teams have fought for the playoffs.

Games with the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers proved that they were able to play at a high level. But when you can’t dominate the team that is completely out of trouble, it’s disappointing and obscures the results that have been produced before.

Maple Leafs have a chance to surpass the Atlantic Division’s lead after the Florida Panthers lost and separated from the Tampa Bay Chargers. They started 2-0 in the game, but squandered. Forty minutes and five unresolved goals, it was a bad thing for the Maple Leaf because they had no answers, which was unforgivable from the beginning, just like before the game against Utah Hockey Club, the Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the predators’ game, Maple Leaf was lifeless, sat down, the previous week’s turnover and collapse. This is another lost opportunity as they claim to be a team and advance in the standings.

Related: Auston Matthews’ leadership full display

Going back to Matthews’ comments about the team trying to figure things out, when they were beaten, they had nothing to do with their remaining time, and he was right. Find your own game in them. However, this is not the first time players say they need to be better. This is no longer a young team. How many times do they want to say this instead of learning a lesson? This is not an excuse.

The team had a meeting earlier to discuss the match a few weeks ago. While this is a game after their domination and shows that they can play a full shutdown without allowing their opponents to work a lot with their opponents, the losses on the weak team are not cut. They can’t keep saying they need urgency and need to play desperately when they should know it’s the standard of this league. That information needs to sink into it because if they haven’t figured it out yet, those nine seasons have entered this core term, it feels like they will never be.

Maple leaves won’t lose focus

Once again, the main focus is the maple leaf mentality. John Tavares said they need to be “angry” at the result after overcoming something and finding their own game, but the end of the week is poor. Why they can’t have this mindset consistently has disturbed many fans’ expectations of the playoffs.

Berube said that when the Predators reacted, the team “didn’t fight for it” and that was a problem throughout the season, and they didn’t have the usual fight throughout the game. The response needs to exist, and when things seem to be going wrong, the lack of backs is obvious, and that is a problem. Tavares has pushed the team before, but that’s what they do consistently. After the mini streak, they got cold again, which was impossible.

Although they scored a victory and a great record last week, some of the figures are worrying. They allow two high-range goals, but they also allow five goals from the medium to the lower area, which is not ideal. In addition, they also allow (97) to score opportunities (90).

Earlier this week, they won a fight, intense, opportunistic opportunity and matched the pace of their opponents. The electric game is clicks (40.7% this month), which is great, but their penalty kills have been bad. In March, they were 69%, which is not a good secret in the playoffs. They continue to give up a lot of shots and opportunities as they attack, and despite the improvement in defensive performance, they rely too much on that because they can’t lose what has made them successful in the past week.

Related: Maple Leaf’s John Tavares hits 1,100 career points

Maple Leafs do need to find a balance between offense and defense and recover what makes them successful at some point this season. Playing with an angry mindset is not a bad thing, doing so consistently shows that they mean business and don’t go through the whole process.

This team is easily vulnerable, and for years it has been an ongoing problem with their own biggest enemy. As the playoffs approach, this has to change and be quick.

In the playoffs, you can’t afford this kind of mistake. They definitely know, but they need to show it.

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