Leafs Drown In Duck Pond

Whether it was the long plane ride or the extra day in between games, something caused the Maple Leafs to be extremely ineffective in the first game of their six game western road trip. They had been riding a four game unbeaten streak until last night’s 5 – 1 loss to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

For some reason, the Leafs did not seem to have a lot of energy last night which really showed in the second period as the Mighty Ducks scored three unanswered goals on three fairly lazy plays. The Ducks first goal of the second period was scored on a scramble infront of the net. Nolan was unable to tie up his man in the slot and he was able to jam in the loose rebound. On the second goal of the second period, Ken Klee fell behind his net allowing the puck to slide right infront of the net where it was quickly blasted in. The third goal of the second period occurred on a three on two which had a pass hit a leg in the slot and redirect past Leaf netminder, Ed Belfour.

Apart from the redirection on the three on two, the other aforementioned goals were scored on very lazy defensive plays which the Leafs must avoid. It sounds trivial but tying loose men up infront of the net allows the goalie to smother rebounds which inevitably leads to more successful results. Puck control is also essential in the defensive zone. Giving the puck away to the opposition when it is controlled in the defensive zone will almost always lead to a good scoring opportunity. It is very important for the Leafs to make sure the puck gets out of their zone once they have it in control. In the end, it was too many defensive mistakes which cost the Leafs a chance at victory in Anaheim.

With two games in a row to start a long road trip, it is likely that Mikael Tellqvist will get the start tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Coach Pat Quinn will have explained to his team what it is they did wrong in last night’s game. Look for a much more effective game tonight as the Leafs do not want to drop both games to start of their road trip.