The Toronto Maple Leafs’ uneven start has been about more than just a bad night here or there. The biggest issue showing up early is simple: they have not been clean enough getting out of their own end.
That problem was on display Thursday against Vegas. Toronto jumped out to a 3-0 lead, only to watch the Golden Knights claw all the way back and win 4-3 in a shootout.
Mitch Marner gave Vegas credit for the way it kept coming, though the officiating also played a role in how the game changed after the first period. Still, the Leafs left chances on the table, and the gap in execution showed up in the neutral zone.
Alec Brownscombe of Maple Leafs Hot Stove singled out the breakout as the area Toronto has to fix fastest:
Jim Hiller is coaching hard on mixing and matching his personnel and making situational adjustments to his lines, but the big piece he needs to sort out quickly is the consistency of the overall structure of their five-on-five play, starting with the breakouts.
They flash stretches of the fast-skating, structured game they're aiming for, but they're still too inconsistent and disconnected overall.
There have been moments this season when Toronto has looked like the kind of team it wants to be - quick, connected, able to catch opponents and snuff out plays before they develop. But too often that hasn’t lasted. One clean step through the neutral zone turns into a turnover, and suddenly the Leafs are defending a dangerous odd-man rush.
For now, some of that can be explained by the group still getting used to one another. But that only carries so much weight. The longer this drags on, the harder it gets to dismiss it as simple unfamiliarity.
The Leafs also need to stop overextending themselves in the name of helping out. Early on, players have been staying on the ice too long instead of trusting teammates to take over.
One example came in overtime against Vegas, when Auston Matthews logged nearly two and a half minutes. He was still there for a reason, but the longer he stays out, the less effective he becomes.
John Tavares, Easton Cowan, and Nick Paul were all available to come in.
With nearly a dozen new faces in the lineup, there is a learning curve here. But Toronto needs to clean it up quickly. If not, the questions around this start are only going to get louder.
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