Maple Leafs come up with another sloppy effort in loss to lowly Senators
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Author of the article:
Terry Koshan
Publishing date:
Mar 14, 2021 • 10 minutes ago • 4 minute read • 
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Senators’ Austin Watson fights Maple Leafs’ Zach Bogosian (left) on Sunday, March 14, 2021 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Photo by MATT ZAMBONIN /GETTY IMAGES Article content
Another couple of big strides backward on the part of the Maple Leafs came on a day everyone else was springing forward.
The Leafs on Sunday didn’t have much change in their effort from what they put forth 24 hours earlier against Winnipeg, losing 4-3 in Ottawa to a Senators team that has last place in the North Division nailed shut.
Instead of giving themselves something to feel good about in a week that has four days between games, the Leafs lost for the fifth time in six games, continuing to play some sickly hockey as they wore their green Toronto St. Pats uniforms at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Leafs’ lead in the North Division has shrunk to four points over the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. Both teams play three games before the Leafs get the Calgary Flames on Friday in Toronto.
“We’ve lost more than we want in the past week so, yeah, we’ve had defensive breakdowns,” said winger Zach Hyman, who scored two goals. “We’re not worried about where we are. We know how good we can be, and it’s just about regrouping this week, and finding that again and pushing forward.”
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Michael Hutchinson started after Frederik Andersen wasn’t good on Saturday, and Hutchinson didn’t have to break a sweat. He was gone before the game was 6 1/2 minutes old, relegated to bench duty after allowing two goals in a span of seven seconds.
Andersen, with no mental prep time, managed to stop all 11 shots he saw in the first and finished with 26 saves.In the Ottawa net, Joey Daccord started after Matt Murray didn’t make it through the warmup. Daccord made 33 saves for his first win in the National Hockey League.
The Leafs scored two goals late in the third with Andersen on the bench, with Hyman and John Tavares connecting, but couldn’t tie the game in the final two minutes.
A goal by Ilya Mikheyev midway through the third was not allowed. Daccord couldn’t get across his crease to make a save because Pierre Engvall was in the way, and a challenge by Sens coach D.J. Smith was a success.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t have an issue with the decision and said he would have challenged as well.
Ottawa Senators’ Nick Paul (left) battles for position against Maple Leafs’ Jake Muzzin on Sunday, March 14, 2021 in Ottawa. MATT ZAMBONIN/GETTY IMAGES
During his pre-game availability, Keefe acknowledged the compact schedule was having an impact on his club but said “there’s no reason for us to not be all in on this game and just the response needed from (Saturday) night’s game (a 5-2 loss to the Jets) on its own is enough for us.”
That’s not what transpired, and the stench will linger as the Leafs collect their wits before the Flames arrive at Scotiabank Arena for a two-game set.
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“Ottawa was better,” Keefe said. “They were better at five-on-five, they were better on special teams, they were better in goal. They deserved the result.”
Mitch Marner said fatigue was not an issue.
Mistakes have been winding up in the Leafs’ net recently, and that trend continued. Also, the Leafs weren’t particularly tough on Daccord, who was making just his fifth start in the NHL.
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What has to be disconcerting about the past two losses is that the Leafs’ heads weren’t fully in either game. They’re better than these performances show, but that doesn’t mean the losses should be glossed over.
“It’s important for us to have a short memory, but with this four-day break, we have to sit with this one,” Auston Matthews said. “There’s plenty we can take from here and move forward and use this week to rest and recover.”
The Leafs made the trip to Ottawa on Sunday morning and the unique travel plan had to have had an impact on their brutal start, from which they never recovered.
The Sens scored at 6:06 when Brady Tkachuk took advantage of a Travis Boyd turnover, got past Jake Muzzin and beat Hutchinson with a shot that should have been stopped.
Seven seconds later, Ryan Dzingel scored along the ice on another shot that Hutchinson is paid to turn aside with relative ease.
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Hutchinson, who faced three shots and did his job on one of them, was solid in five previous games this season, putting up a .934 save percentage.
Fact is, he’s a third-stringer for a reason, and if they weren’t before, most in Leafs Nation are now keeping their fingers crossed that Jack Campbell finally returns at the end of the week from a lower-body injury that has kept him out since Feb. 27.
After Hyman scored to lessen the Sens’ 2-0 lead, Ottawa added two goals in the second period, both by Drake Batherson.
Batherson scored at five minutes on a power play off a terrific pass from rookie Tim Stutzle, who threaded a backhand feed to Batherson for a one-timer.
Fifty-three seconds later, Batherson scored again. The Sens kept the puck in the offensive zone thanks to a weak clearing attempt by Morgan Rielly, and Batherson popped a shot over Andersen’s glove.
tkoshan@postmedia.com
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