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Embarrassing.
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There’s no different approach to sum up the Maple Leafs’ effort on Friday night time at Scotiabank Enviornment.
Dealing with a San Jose Sharks workforce that was ending a back-to-back set and enjoying for the third time in 4 nights, the Leafs not solely didn’t make life tough for the guests, they did not take an higher hand in opposition to a membership that would have used fatigue as an out.
The outcome was a 5-3 victory for the Sharks, who’re within the midst of a five-game journey, earlier than a crowd of 18,603.
The Leafs, who had not performed since Monday, talked through the week about getting busier within the offensive zone, and that didn’t occur.
Sharks goalie Adin Hill completed with 30 saves, with not more than a handful of the tough selection.
“The best way that they play, they actually hold everyone on the surface, simply management the center of the ice and I don’t suppose we did a good-enough job to generate possibilities, Grade-A scoring possibilities on the within,” the Leafs’ Auston Matthews mentioned after his second sport.
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“There’s quite a bit that we will look again on and for myself personally, it wasn’t actually my finest efficiency. I’m simply looking for my approach and get in a rhythm once more and go from there.
“I believe we might all be higher.”
Few Leafs introduced something approaching ardour with consistency, and the membership now heads out on a three-game journey with a mediocre file of 2-2-1.
The Leafs departed after the sport for Pittsburgh, the place they are going to play the Penguins on Saturday night time earlier than making stops in Carolina on Monday and Chicago on Wednesday.
Michael Hutchinson wasn’t very good in web, however he didn’t get a lot assist in his 2021-22 regular-season debut. He made 26 saves.
Winger Nick Ritchie, largely ineffective with zero factors by way of the primary 5 video games, was benched earlier than he was dropped to the fourth line.
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Then there’s Mitch Marner, who had one shot on objective. Marner, for those who’re not conserving observe at residence, has one help to start out the season.
He’s paid fairly handsomely to supply a heck of much more.
Ritchie was benched for a bit of the primary interval after which for the ultimate eight minutes of the second after Erik Karlsson gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead.
“I believe you’re it the fallacious approach,” Keefe mentioned once we requested why Ritchie didn’t see the ice. “We get scored on. It was extra to me about the truth that line wasn’t going.
“You could possibly be asking as many questions on Matthews and Marner in the present day as you would be about Ritchie.
“You’ll be able to simply inform the road of questioning I’ve been getting over the past variety of days that we wish to pile on Nick Ritchie. Let’s not slender the main focus an excessive amount of.”
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High quality, but it surely was Ritchie who rode the pine, not Marner or Matthews (not that we’d recommend that Matthews sit, contemplating he’s simply freshly again).
Jonathan Dahlen put the Sharks up by two targets when he scored 25 seconds into the third, and the Leafs acquired to inside one when captain John Tavares scored at 13:39.
San Jose captain Logan Couture snuffed the Leafs’ hope for a comeback, scoring into an empty web with 40 seconds remaining.
Following a goalless first interval, the golf equipment mixed for 5 targets in a span of 9 minutes, 24 seconds within the second.
Couture opened the scoring at 2:31 and Jason Spezza answered throughout a scramble at 3:27. However 17 seconds later, Timo Meier beat Hutchinson from an angle that ought to have resulted in a save.
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Ondrej Kase’s first objective as a Leaf got here on a breakaway at 10:24 after he blocked a shot. Kase managed the puck and deked to his backhand for his first objective since Feb. 4, 2020, when he was with Anaheim.
The Sharks restored a one-goal lead when Karlsson teed up a shot and ripped the puck over Hutchinson’s left shoulder.
Within the third, Ritchie skated with Spezza and Wayne Simmonds. Pierre Engvall skated on the highest line with Matthews and Mitch Marner. William Nylander additionally noticed time on the Matthews line.
Keefe mentioned he may put Ritchie again with Matthews and Marner in Pittsburgh.
The road shuffling gained’t quantity to a lot if the Leafs carry an identical effort to what they summoned on Friday.
