Nick Kypreos: The Maple Leafs have shown what they’re capable of. Why can’t they show it every game? - Toronto Star
The Leafs' steep drop off in their games against the Oilers and Flames wasn't for a lack of effort, but an issue of mindset.
Leafs captain Auston Matthews and referee Frederick L’Ecuyer exchange words during Monday night’s game in Calgary.
Nick Kypreos is a former NHL player, Stanley Cup champion and current host of Sportsnet’s Real Kyper and Bourne radio show. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star and is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @RealKyper.
It’s hard to say which version of the Maple Leafs will show up on any given night.
At times they look invigorated, with captain Auston Matthews controlling play like his old self, his running mate William Nylander flying up and down the wing, and the energy of the young guys permeating the lineup.
On those nights, they’ll dominate the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers in their own building. But on other nights, the Leafs will seem overwhelmed and out to lunch against a meagre opponent like the Calgary Flames.
As the third-oldest team in the league, they should know better than to let these significant dips in performance happen, especially against one of the NHL’s youngest teams like the Flames. But for much of this group, the experience they bring is outweighed by baggage following years of playoff disappointments, coaching changes and leadership questions.
This Leafs core should understand by now that winning teams don’t rise to the occasion against the league’s best only to take their foot off the gas against a weaker opponent next game. That is why, despite a recent four-game winning streak that showed flashes of a team ready to contend in the stacked Atlantic Division, it’s too early to expect these Jekyll and Hyde Leafs to be a winning team just yet.
Beating the Oilers 7-2 on the road showed exactly what the Leafs are capable of. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and they had been playing like it, with eight wins in their first 10 games heading into that clash with the Leafs. But Toronto played with urgency, structure, and purpose.
As Oilers coach Mike Babcock put it: “They were more competitive than us. They were quicker than us. They were better.”
The Leafs looked like a team that understood the moment in Edmonton. Two nights later, in a 5-2 loss to Calgary, that team was nowhere to be found.
The steep drop-off wasn’t for a lack of effort. It’s an issue of mindset.
Mature teams don’t measure a game’s importance by the opponent in front of them. They understand that there are no extra points given for beating a Stanley Cup contender like Edmonton. And there are no excuses for losing a game they should have at least looked competitive in. Matthews, to his credit, didn’t give excuses after the Calgary loss.
“We just kind of got away from what’s making us successful over the last week or so, and they took advantage,” he told reporters Monday.
And that’s a habit they must break.
McMann was dealt for draft picks to the Kraken ahead of last year’s trade deadline. The move came attached with its challenges.
