I missed the 1st. From what I watched from the 2nd on, a scrambly, scrappy game where I think the Leafs had the better of the play, but did not capitalize. Was that Smith or poor finishing, or bad luck? I think a combination of all three.
Trying to bury Hutch for this loss is such a Leaf fan thing to do. Could have been better on the breakaway, no chance on the deflection, and jeez louise he has to respect McDavid in OT. Regardless, he was signed to be our 4th and has played better than expected - save one game. That said, the injuries to Campbell and Andersen are very concerning. As the organization is loathe to hand out info on the nature of these injuries, we don't know how badly or for how long these guys will be compromised. I do not see an easy solution, my fingers are crossed.
Our last 11 games have seen the team score 28 goals, or 2.545 goals/game. It's hard to consistently win when you're scoring at that rate. The PP needs to contribute more. Matthews wrist, Tavares (oh boy that crossbar in the 3rd) low percentage and some timely depth scoring would certainly help.
I know this is echo chamber stuff here, but I am so confused as to how Leaf games are officiated. The amount of clutching and grabbing they have to wade through, or the Yamamoto against Marner non call and then the Simmonds call against...this league at times = frustration.
Ray of sunshine moment: while the results of the past 11 (back to the Van series) have not been great, the team is still holding the edge in play most games. There is a 'sometimes you win/sometimes you lose' element to hockey that is based on nothing other than that's the way the puck bounces. Right now it's not bouncing our way and I don't like it, but I'll take the effort level and believe that the results will improve because better play usually results in wins.
