Leafs-Penguins takeaways: Woll’s win streak ends, Pacioretty’s mixed return, unforced errors strike again© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
It was a frustrating evening for the Toronto Maple Leafs, suffering several unforced errors during a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mitch Marner and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews added two assists, while Joseph Woll’s winning streak was snapped at six games. Woll made 26 stops on 29 shots in the losing effort, as Blake Lizotte and Kris Letang added empty-net goals for the Penguins.
Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust and Michael Bunting also added singles for the Penguins, as Bunting’s power play goal stood as the game-winner.
This is Toronto’s first two-game losing streak in regulation since dropping consecutive games to the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues on October 22 and 24, respectively.
Here are five quick takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 5-2 loss:
- Max Pacioretty submitted a mixed return during his return to the lineup, after missing nearly a month due to a lower-body injury. Pacioretty was paired with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and did well during the first period, to get to the net and work off the space created by his superstar linemates. Matthews and Marner showed diminishing returns throughout the game as well, but each player ended up with a two-point night, while Pacioretty’s game waned entirely. He took two needless penalties during the second period, which disrupted the Maple Leafs’ flow and it felt like he was still trying to find his legs as the game went on. This wasn’t the worst result for Pacioretty, but consider it an amplified conditioning stint of sorts.
- Alex Nylander wasted his opportunity Saturday to remain in the lineup for the foreseeable future, as Max Domi and Bobby McMann are slated to return next week. Nikita Grebenkin and Nick Robertson were both scratched, with the idea that Nylander had at least supplanted Grebenkin on the depth chart. Nylander took a careless penalty in the third period with the Leafs trailing 3-2, cutting into their chance to rally back in the game, he did not register a shot, and ultimately, he appears better suited for the AHL than the NHL. Fraser Minten should remain with the Maple Leafs after McMann and Domi return, but the same can’t be said of the younger Nylander brother.
- Joseph Woll didn’t necessarily play poorly, but it was his worst performance in seven starts and he allowed a weak goal to Bryan Rust, where the puck caromed off the boards, Rust fired it back on net and Woll reacted way too late. Woll kept the Maple Leafs in the game and improved as the night went on, including a phenomenal save on Drew O’Connor in the third period, as Toronto trailed 3-2. The two empty-net goals made the scoreline look worse than the actual result, and there’s no cause for concern, but it was the worst start from either Leafs goaltender in weeks, which speaks to how well both Woll and Anthony Stolarz have played through the opening 27 games.
- You have to wonder how different the result would be if Matthew Knies fired a shot an inch closer towards the net, instead of ringing it off the post in a high-danger area, shortly after Michael Bunting gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead on the power play. Knies kept his legs moving all night, he powered his way to the front of the net, he did some excellent work on the penalty kill in the second period, but ultimately it just wasn’t his night. Knies overcame a shaky first period and was arguably Toronto’s best forward in the latter 40 minutes, but bad luck compounds, and the Maple Leafs have a few days to recover from the two-game skid.
- Jake McCabe’s four-game absence is beginning to have pronounced effects. It’s not necessarily that the Maple Leafs have been poor defensively throughout the week, but on Saturday, Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins failed to make an impact, Oliver Ekman-Larsson cooled off considerably after his offensive aggression was welcomed by the Maple Leafs in the first period, and Morgan Rielly is treading water while trying to make the game easier for Philippe Myers. Chris Tanev was quietly excellent again, but McCabe’s imminent return will have a trickle-down effect across the board, and his absence was felt, as the evening went on, where Rielly and Ekman-Larsson’s efficiency and simplicity tailed off.