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So that’s what it seems to be like when a workforce’s prime gamers take over.
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Maple Leafs followers have been ready for a lot of the 2025-26 common season to see it occur, they usually definitely obtained their fill on Saturday night time at Scotiabank Arena.
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Unfortunately for these within the crowd of 19,023 carrying blue and white, it wasn’t the gamers in blue and white we’re speaking about.
Not William Nylander, who performed by sickness and couldn’t contribute as a lot as a shot purpose.
Not John Tavares, who has struggled to supply recently and has one help in his previous 5 video games.
And most undoubtedly not captain Auston Matthews, who had one more outing that featured little-to-no pop in his sport and was nothing near the difference-maker that he’s paid to be.
Leafs coach Craig Berube took goal at his core after the sport, although he did let Nylander off the hook a bit, saying No. 88 was “not even near 75%” due to the sickness the winger is preventing.
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But nonetheless.
After failing to carry a one-goal lead within the third interval on Thursday in a 3-2 extra time loss towards the San Jose Sharks, the Leafs had no dedication within the last 20 minutes towards the Oilers as Edmonton scored three targets earlier than Steven Lorentz added one late for Toronto.
“Our leaders must take management of it much more than they’re proper now,” Berube stated. “It’s all a mindset. Whether down a purpose, it’s a must to have extra urgency and being extra direct in how we need to play.”
That’s not an indicator of fine groups, is it, a failure to shut out the opposition within the third interval, if not mount a comeback as an alternative of the wilting because the Leafs did on Saturday.
Big night time for Oilers duo
If you watched only a shift or two of the Oilers’ 6-3 spanking of the Leafs, you already know we had been speaking off the highest about Edmonton captain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
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Each completed with three factors.
McDavid, on the largest stage within the National Hockey League on a Saturday night time, carried out like he’s been listening to the concept in some corners that Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has handed him as the most effective participant within the sport.
McDavid, his expertise brimming over on this December night time, skated offended. MacKinnon is simply NHL peer in that regard. We haven’t seen Matthews do it as soon as this season, not like he has in earlier years.
When McDavid blew previous a confused Oliver Ekman-Larsson and previous a slower Morgan Rielly to open the scoring lower than 4 minutes into the sport, it was on.
“He scores plenty of targets, and a few targets are larger than others,” stated former Leafs winger Zach Hyman, who scored the Oilers’ sixth purpose. “When he has a pleasant celebration, it’s as a result of he scored a pleasant one, and it’s an enormous one, and particularly right here.
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“It brings emotion on the bench, which throughout an 82-game season typically is tough to return by.
“To see him fired up and scoring that purpose, you need to proceed to push and push and push. It was a very good night time for us.”
The Leafs had no reply. Their finest gamers didn’t hearth them up.
McDavid obtained credit score for a Troy Stecher personal purpose and helped arrange Darnell Nurse for the Oilers’ third purpose.
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A one-goal mirage
That the Leafs had been behind by only a purpose going into the third interval, trailing 3-2, was a mirage. Draisaitl arrange Vasily Podkolzin twice within the first two minutes of the third and the Leafs may as effectively have gone residence then. It was over.
“When you have got the 2 finest gamers on this planet, they will take over video games and, clearly, they did it,” Hyman stated. “I don’t know if shock is the precise phrase.”
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The Leafs aren’t a very good workforce, not as we hit mid-December.
The Leafs are 4 factors out of the second wildcard spot within the Eastern Conference, with 4 groups between them and eighth place.
It definitely feels just like the hole is lot larger proper now, doesn’t it?
The Leafs had gained 4 of their earlier six video games and managed to get a degree within the different two, an anomaly after they gained three in a row to start out November.
The Leafs didn’t make a lot of a dent within the standings, although, and towards McDavid, Draisaitl and the remainder of the Oilers, they appeared nothing like a workforce that might take a wholesome run at a playoff spot.
We’re 31 video games into the Leafs season and Berube nonetheless has to speak about enjoying with extra urgency.
Lots of hockey stays, however that doesn’t indicate it’s going to be good.
X: @koshtorontosun
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