Jim Hiller didn’t sugarcoat it after the Maple Leafs’ latest setback. Following Toronto’s fourth straight loss, the coach pointed directly at William Nylander and said the star winger has more to give.
“I know he can play better than he is right now. I think that’s a pretty fair statement. If you asked him, I think he’d agree,” Hiller said.
That came after a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at home, a result that matched the score of Toronto’s win over Colorado on October 10 at Ball Arena. The defeat left the Maple Leafs at 8-10-2 through 20 games.
The loss also stood out because Toronto had taken three of its previous four meetings with Colorado, and Nylander had been a major problem for the Avalanche in those games. He had three goals and four assists in his last two matchups against them. This time, though, the Leafs couldn’t turn that history into another win.
Colorado deserves plenty of credit for that. The Avalanche were much sharper defensively than they had been in earlier meetings, and they did a better job of shutting down Toronto’s looks through the middle of the ice. That made life harder on a Leafs team that still found ways to score on pure talent.
Darren Raddysh got the puck on net, Easton Cowan threaded a shot through a tiny opening, and Jack Roslovic powered through Brett Kulak before slipping a backhander past Mackenzie Blackwood.
Blackwood was a story in himself. After the game, the Avalanche goalie said he had woken up Tuesday with a fever and a cough, but decided to play anyway. He even made himself chicken soup before heading to the rink.
“Tough one for me,” Blackwood told The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak. “I woke up sick this morning, with a fever and a cough.
I was like, ‘I’m going to grind it out.’ I made chicken soup.”
He grinded through it well enough to stop 28 shots and help Colorado escape with the win. Toronto did make him work. The Leafs scored early, then pulled even at 3-3 in the third period, but Blackwood kept coming up with key saves to hold the line.
One of the biggest came in the second period, when he robbed Auston Matthews on a rebound chance. Colorado answered soon after Toronto tied it, quickly reclaimed the lead, and then stretched the margin on the way to the three-goal win.
Blackwood’s numbers have been rolling along with the results. He is 8-1-1 over his last 10 starts with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
He’s not the first Avalanche player to push through illness and still deliver, either. Nathan MacKinnon did it on November 29 against the Montreal Canadiens, finishing with three points - a goal and two assists - in Colorado’s 7-2 win.
For Toronto, though, the bigger picture is uglier. Four losses in a row have pushed the Leafs backward in the standings, and the pressure is now squarely on the team’s top players to find another gear. Nylander is one of the names Hiller expects more from, but the issues clearly run deeper than one winger.
Colorado, meanwhile, keeps getting exactly what it needs in goal. If Blackwood keeps this up, he’ll force his way into the Vezina Trophy conversation.
In Other News...
Devon Toews Is Becoming A Bigger Avalanche Weapon Than Expected
Devon Toews has been one of the quieter reasons the Avalanche have stayed on track early this season, and his production has started to look a lot less quiet. He has 18 points in 19 games, and in the 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs he chipped in a goal and an assist while Colorado kept building momentum behind another strong night from Mackenzie Blackwood.
Jared Bednars decision to separate Toews and Cale Makar after Josh Mansons injury has given Toews a little more room to push offensively, and the results have shown up quickly. For a team that improved to 11-6-2 with the victory, the bigger question now is how much more of that added freedom the Avalanche can keep giving him as the schedule rolls on. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Need An Answer From Noah Juulsen In A Bigger Role
Josh Mansons injury has opened a door on the Avalanche blue line, and it puts Noah Juulsen in a spot he has been chasing for years. The former first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens has already lived through the hard parts of an NHL career, from injuries to team changes, but he arrives in Colorado with something he has not always had before: a two-year contract and a little stability.
Now the Avalanche need that stability to show up on the ice. With Manson expected to miss about eight weeks, Juulsen is being asked to handle a bigger role and give Colorado dependable defensive minutes while the lineup absorbs the loss. The opportunity is real, and so is the pressure, because the Avalanche are counting on him to turn a fresh chance into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Sent A Loud Message In Toronto Behind A Familiar Star
Gabriel Landeskog gave Colorado exactly the kind of night that travels well, scoring twice and putting the Avalanche in front for good in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The result pushed Colorado to 11-6-2 and showed a team getting offense from across the lineup, with Devon Toews, Cale Makar, Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas all factoring into the scoring surge.
For a club that has wanted more consistency early, this was the sort of statement win that can carry some weight. Toronto got goals from Darren Raddysh, Jack Roslovic and Easton Cowan, but the Avalanche kept answering and leaned on a familiar star to close the door, a reminder that when Landeskog is finishing chances and Colorado is rolling its depth, the ceiling looks a lot higher. [Read more 🡒]