The Toronto Maple Leafs might be able to argue they deserved a better result than a 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Might.
“I thought we did a lot of real good things tonight,” Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said after the Leafs extended their home losing streak to three games at the Air Canada Centre thanks to yet another third-period letdown.
One Leaf who certainly deserved a better result was goaltender Frederik Andersen. He was the best player on the ice for more than 50 minutes, serving as the backbone of the Leafs’ defensive game as they were outshot 43-34 in regulation and overtime by the Stanley Cup finalists.
However, as usual, the third period brought out the worst in the Leafs. And it seems the shootout does as well despite the presence of all those creative young players on the team. Rookies Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and Nikita Shoshnikov were all stopped on their shootout attempts by Sharks goaltender Martin Jones while Logan Couture scored for the visitors to leave the Leafs winless in four shootouts this season and one of the worst teams in the NHL at the competition.
“Obviously, shootouts haven’t been too kind to us,” Leafs centre Nazem Kadri said. “At the end of the day, we just have to take the positives. It’s just a learning curve, another experience for us.”
That third-period learning curve is getting rather steep for the Leafs. They outplayed the Sharks by a wide margin in the first two periods, despite being outshot 26-20, but their inability to stay out of the penalty box cost them in the third.
First, loose defensive coverage allowed Sharks defenceman Justin Braun to get into the slot and score his first of the season on a quick backhand to the top corner at 12:43 to cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1. It also spoiled Andersen’s bid for his first shutout as a Leaf.
Then Leafs defenceman Matt Hunwick took an interference penalty, and what was a two-goal lead after two periods was gone in about two minutes. Sharks centre Joe Pavelski scored his ninth of the season on the power play at 14:50 to tie the game.
“I think part of it is not continuing to play with your foot on the gas as much,” Babcock said when asked about the third-period woes. “I was pleased with our effort but the best way to play with a lead is [play] as if you are tied.
“We took too many penalties, that was the bottom line.”
The Leafs perked up in overtime, holding a big edge in the best scoring chances during a thrilling five minutes. Defenceman Morgan Rielly and forward Mitch Marner came the closest, getting stopped in the crease by Sharks goaltender Martin Jones.
Before the collapse, the Leafs saw the benefits of their recent stretch of all-round play as they took a 2-0 lead into the third period against the Sharks. They used their speed to full effect in the first 40 minutes, forcing Jones to make several good saves, even though San Jose outshot them 26-20 during that period. Jones’ best save came midway through the second period when he flicked out his right pad to stop winger Zach Hyman on a shorthanded breakaway.
Granted, as the third period showed, the Leafs still need to work on their defensive game. Andersen will maintain Tuesday’s standard of play if the team is to keep treading water. He was sensational through the first two periods, although not in the traditional sense of the word.
Andersen is a goaltender who has the fundamentals all figured out. He is at his most effective when he coolly slides into position as the play moves around him. It was as if there was a string tied between him and the puck. Every time the Sharks thought they had moved the puck enough for an open shot, he was there, filling the net.
On the offensive side, the Leafs’ best line was the trio of Matthews and wingers William Nylander and Zach Hyman. They accounted for both goals in the first two periods with Hyman deflecting a Matthews shot for the first goal and Matthews scoring from a wide angle on a second-period power play. Hyman was also strong defensively, blocking shots including one that hit him on the knee and sent him to the dressing room briefly.
“One of the best skills in hockey is competitiveness,” Babcock said of Hyman and his linemates. “They came to play.”
Nylander seemed especially driven Tuesday night. He was digging for pucks all night and could have had more than the two assists he registered on the first two goals. His best play came when he hounded Braun along the boards in the San Jose zone, eventually stripped him of the puck and got off a shot.
The Leafs could have taken a three-goal lead into the third period but for a border-line penalty call early in the second. Rielly ripped a shot to the top corner of the Sharks net, but centre Nazem Kadri, who skated through the crease and brushed Jones as the shot came in, was called for goaltender interference. A video review upheld the call.
“I’m assuming he thought I touched the goaltender,” Kadri said of the referee’s call. “I was shocked they called [the goal] off.”
Babcock issued a coach’s challenge on the play but a video review upheld the call. A decision the other way would have given the Leafs a better cushion in the third period, perhaps enough to hold off the Sharks.
“It’s tough to have a call like that decide the outcome,” Kadri said.
Follow David Shoalts on Twitter: @dshoalts
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