Toronto Maple Leafs: Frustrations reaches new level after loss to Dallas Stars
Frustration for fans understandable but patience is required
The Leafs had their chances against the Stars but failed to score in large part to a strong game from Antoin Khudobin. There is a justified reason for the frustration Leafs Nation is feeling right now.
Many predicted Toronto to be one of the top offensive teams in the league and Stanley Cup contenders but they haven’t looked like a powerhouse especially at Scotiabank Arena. With high expectations comes the greater risk of disappointment when things don’t your way and that’s the issue for the Leafs right now.
This is where veterans like; Marleau, Ron Hainsey, and John Tavares need to settle the group down and keep to the process because when teams struggle, doubt begins to creep in. Sometimes the best way is for the veterans to show the way as Marleau did by scoring but it seems like the players are in the right mindset.
Mitch Marner on #Leafs 2-1 loss to the Stars: "I think we’re all happy with the effort we put in tonight. Results just didn’t happen."
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) November 2, 2018
Patrick Marleau on managing frustration:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 2, 2018
"We're talking about that, obviously, because we are talented, but we have to play the right way in order to get our chances & I think you saw that tonight, for the most part. We played our good system game & were rewarded with chances."
There have been some questioning the decisions Babcock is making especially with who he deploys at certain times and some of the complaints are justifiable. There comes a point however where you need the rest of the players going and it feels like Babcock is trying to do that.
It doesn’t help when bad bounces and missed opportunities become costly and that’s the nature of the game, sometimes the puck doesn’t bounce the team’s way.
Babcock on Tavares & Marner missing out on chances:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 2, 2018
"If I'm picking the guys, that's who I want on. We had those guys on our 2-on-1 & they lost the puck. I'll take those guys all day long in those situations & over a period of time it'll go in."
MM & JT each had 5 shots
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Maybe reducing some of the minutes for the bottom six players during certain situations isn’t the worst thing but fans shouldn’t blame the Leafs struggles on player deployment.
Instead, the Leafs just need to simplify their game a bit, not look for the extra pass and get more pucks on net especially in the early going.
The team has been guilty of using the stretch pass far too often and eventually it becomes predictable.
This should be the focus for Babcock as they prepare for a tough game in Pittsburgh and find a way to make the proper adjustments. There were some moments where the Leafs stayed within their structure and didn’t try to do anything extra so hopefully staying with it can lead to a turnaround.
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Are you concerned about the Leafs play lately? What should they do to try and turn things around? Let us know in the comments below.