Toronto Maple Leafs: Sheldon Keefe, Jake Muzzin Lose to Canadiens

The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off the 2022-23 season in the most disappointing and crappy way possible – with a listless loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t play poorly and they could easily have won this game, but they should destroy a team like Montreal, and they didn’t.

One one hand, it’s the first game, it’s on the road, and the result could very easily have been different.

But on the other hand, this is a contending team, and you’d just like to see them take care of business a little more efficiently.  (stats naturalstattrick.com).

Denis Malgin had a nice game.  He scored a goal and then hit a post on a breakaway. Montreal immediately scored after Malgin hit the post, or it would have been 3-1 Leafs and pretty much over.

If Kerfoot scores on his penalty shot, it’s over. The Leafs will rarely go 0-4 on the power-play.  What can you do?

Matt Murray didn’t play badly either.  The two Cole Caulfield goals were works of art, and you just got to give the kid credit for his sweet moves.  Goals three and four were  on the defense (Muzzin/Tavares, then Muzzin alone).

You also have to give the Leafs some credit for a quick comeback, when they went down 3-2.  A very quick and professional response.

The end of the game was really on Muzzin who doubled down on his terrible play on goal three to lose an otherwise winnable game.

On the third goal, Muzzin’s inability to contain the Habs player in front of the net, combined with Tavares losing his man, allowed Montreal to get an easy rebound goal that was zero-percent on Matt Murray.

These goals will happen, but they’re sloppy and a better effort will prevent most of these types of goals.  When both the D and F lose their forwards at once, Montreal gets a mini two-on-oh right in front of the net and the goalie has no chance.

But before that even happens, there are three Leafs who make lazy stick sweeps at the same player as he then moves the puck, giving Montreal the entire zone.  Everyone on the ice sucked on this goal.

And the last goal just makes you want to scream because as long as Jake Muzzin is on this team the coach will treat him like he’s 2012 Jake Muzzin.  He is the last guy who should be on the ice in the minute, and he proved it by single handedly losing the game.

Muzzin plays the 2 on 1 like it’s his first day in Atom Hockey, then he makes the laziest attempt at a clearing play I’ve ever seen.  If Nylander ever showed this kind of effort it’s all that we’d be talking about.  Since it was Muzzin, I doubt if anyone even complains.

Anyways, as I’ve been saying for about a year now – the old slow guy with a back injury and 200 concussions and a massive contract needs to go.   Tampa got Ryan McDonagh to waive his NTC and the Leafs inability to recognize what has become of Muzzin and take the same steps is possible the worst move the organization has made since it entered the 2018 playoffs with Ron Hainsey on the top pairing.

Sheldon Keefe needs to quickly realize that Jake Muzzin is his sixth (seventh when Liljegren is back) defenseman, and start coaching accordingly.  There is no way he should ever play 3:30 more than Rasmus Sandin.

On the bright side, Matt Murray looked good, as did William Nylander and John Tavares.

Rasmus Sandin and Mark Giordano were ridiculous.  They dominated completely and posted a 70% Corsi.

Auston Matthews also had a 70% Corsi, and five shots.  The shot attempts were 17-7 when he was on the ice, but the Leafs lost 2-1 in his minutes.  That’s just bad luck.

Even with Muzzin playing like he needs a visit to Robidas Island, the Leafs should have won this game.

In order to lose, the Toronto Maple Leafs had to surrender two amazing  highlight reel goals, lose the minutes of their best players despite total domination,  not score on a penalty shot, while also hitting the post on what was essentially also a penalty shot, and going oh-for-four on the power-play.

I’d like to see them tighten up at the end of games, and to be a little more focused in their zone, but realistically, they will win many more of these types of games than they lose, so who really cares?

Fun night, bad result.