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Toronto Maple Leafs Lose Another Shootout, Fall 3-2 to Ottawa Senators

By Chris Okrainetz

Jan 21, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner (16) scores on Ottawa Senators goaltender Mike Condon (1) in the shoot out at the Air Canada Centre. Ottawa defeated Toronto 3-2 in an overtime shoot out. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner (16) scores on Ottawa Senators goaltender Mike Condon (1) in the shoot out at the Air Canada Centre. Ottawa defeated Toronto 3-2 in an overtime shoot out. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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A late third period error cost the Toronto Maple Leafs (21-14-9) and they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators (25-15-4) on Saturday night.

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Thoughts and Observations

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs lost back-to-back games for the first time since December 11-15, when they lost three straight home games to the Avalanche, Sharks and Coyotes. Two of those losses came in — you guessed it — the shootout.

    • This was easily one of the more boring Leafs games of the season and their slow start was a main reason for that. Generally a fast starting team, Toronto has started slow the past three games and Saturday night was no different. Considering they took three penalties in the opening 20 minutes, the Leafs were fortunate to only be down one after the first.

    More from Toronto Maple Leafs

  • Martin Marincin had an interesting night and was without question a bit rusty. His decision making was subpar and we saw him out of position a few times in the first period. But his biggest mistake came late in the third period when he sent the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. Mike Hoffman would score on the ensuing power play to tie the game at two and send it into overtime. Mike Babcock described Marincin’s play as “steady,” which it was at times, but it’s clear he’s still getting back up to speed. I’ll wait a few more games to see how Marincin does, but this team misses Morgan Rielly.
  • James van Riemsdyk extended his point streak to 10-games on Saturday and he now has 22 points (10 goals and 12 assists) in 22 home games this season. If you’re a DFS player, the line of Mitch Marner, Tyler Bozak and JVR has been excellent at home this season. Marner has 24 points (seven goals and 17 assists) in 22 home games, while Bozak has 17 points (eight goals and nine assists) in 21 home games. Not a bad stack to deploy when they’re playing at the ACC.
  • They didn’t score against Ottawa, but I could watch Auston Matthews and William Nylander work on the power play all day. They always seem to create chances and their ability to create space is a joy to watch.

    • You already knew this, but

    Erik Karlsson

    is pretty good at hockey. Check out these nifty moves he threw on

    Leo Komarov

    and

    Nazem Kadri

    .

    Marner has his own set of moves too, which we’ve seen on numerous occasions, but his shootout goal was just another reminder of how ridiculously good his hands are.

  • Frederik Gauthier was great in the circle against Ottawa, winning 11 draws. We even saw Babcock send Freddy the Goat out there for a few defensive zone draws, which is something we don’t usually see.

    • The loss was disappointing, especially with the game being blown in the final minutes of the third period, but at least the Leafs got a point from this game, which is extremely important when you consider how tight the Eastern Conference is.

    Stat of the Night

    1-for-6

    I don’t know what it is about the shootout, but the Maple Leafs just can’t seem to win one. After Saturday’s loss, Toronto is now 1-for-6 in the shootout this season.

    The Canadian Press’ Jonas Siegel went into detail about the Leafs shootout struggles here, and he mentioned the Leafs have 66 shootout losses since the shootout was introduced during the 2005-06 season.

    What’s Next

    The Maple Leafs will be back action on Monday night when they take on the Calgary Flames (24-22-3) at the Air Canada Centre. In their only meeting this season, the Leafs were shut out by the Flames on November 30th at the Saddledome, 3-0. That win was almost a turning point for the Flames, as they ripped off six consecutive victories and have posted a 13-9-1 since that game.

    Centre Sean Monahan has been on a tear recently, scoring five goals and two assists in his last five games, and he has 10 points in 10 games this January. His old line mate, Johnny Gaudreau, has been struggling, though. He only has four points (one goal and three assists) this month and has only scored three goals in his last 20 games.

    Calgary will travel to Montreal immediately after this game to play the Canadiens on Tuesday, so there’s a good chance we’ll see Brian Elliott in net on Monday, especially after Chad Johnson let in three of the first four shots he saw on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

    Next: Maple Leafs Roundtable: Mid-Season Awards

    What did you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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