Leafs Get Crushed By Lightning

Any hopes of finishing first in the Eastern Conference were thrown away last night as the Leafs were easily disposed of by the Tampa Bay Lightning. At times during the game, it looked as though the Leafs still treated the Lightning like the lousy expansion team they once were. Simply stated, the Maple Leafs were too easy to play against last night as they failed to accomplish any of the fundamentals necessary for being successful against good opponents.

The coverage in the defensive zone was terrible all night long. “The front of the net was like a free man’s zone all game,” said Coach Pat Quinn. On at least four of the goals, there were two or three Leafs standing infront of the net not taking any of the loose men. The defensemen did a very poor job of identifying what should be done to thwart the Lightning attack thus giving them an easy path to the net practically all night. The Leafs were also dominated in the faceoff circle, an area they are usually quite proficient in.

The discipline situation also did not improve as the Leafs took silly penalties throughout the game. They went two men down within a minute and a half of the start of the game allowing the Lightning to get an early lead.

With yesterday’s loss and Boston winning last night, the possibility of finishing first in the Northeast Division also became more remote, especially with Boston holding a game in hand. It will be mandatory to win on Thursday against Boston if the Leafs still entertain thoughts of first in the division.