The Toronto Maple Leafs needed to avoid the usual traps and traits they have fallen into for years by following up an impressive victory against what is purported to be a top club by playing down to their opposition just days later. The Leafs played arguably their best game of the season in a 7-2 thrashing of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, and followed that up with an incomplete, sometimes incoherent effort in a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday.
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While there were some things that were different in the game, that pattern was all too familiar. Toronto began the game listless and dug themselves a hole by allowing the young Flames to win almost every race to the puck. Calgary seized control of the game with two goals in a span of 1:45 by Matvei Gridin and Mikael Backlund midway through the first.
Easton Cowan attempted to spark the team and make up for a bad giveaway on the Backlund goal by responding to a hit from Aydar Suniev, but that resulted in a double minor and a Flames power play to start the second, in which Gridin scored his second and the eventual game-winner 25 seconds into the middle frame.
Toronto, as they did when they fell behind in Utah earlier this month, rallied to make the game close, as Cowan deflected a Troy Stecher shot past Devin Cooley, and William Nylander narrowed the lead to 3-2 with his club-leading ninth of the season, but the Leafs did not manage the equalizer and were finished off by a pair of empty-netters from Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil.
Bob Has Been Subpar For The Leafs
It is enough of a sample size to have a first impression of Sergei Bobrovsky. He has been subpar at best, and disappointing for sure. In the game on Monday, he was beaten top shelf on all three goals, and on Gridin’s second goal, he was off his angle to prevent the winger from beating him short side as he did on the first goal and instead got beaten up high on the far side.
So far, the 38-year-old is under .500 (3-4-2), with a mediocre 3.09 GAA, and sub .900 save %. Those numbers would be acceptable if he was doing what he was brought to Toronto to do, which was to make the big save at the key moment. In nine starts, Bobrovsky has been a difference maker in three games: a 40-save effort in the shootout loss to Vegas, the win in Colorado, and at home against the Sharks on October 19.
His performances against Montreal and Ottawa to start the season were acceptable yet underwhelming, and he was not sharp in the 5-4 win over the Rangers last week, and he was directly responsible for the overtime loss to Buffalo, where he allowed two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation; and against the Flames, where he played better in the final 40 minutes after the damage was done.
The Leafs will need Bobrovsky to be the Bob of 2024 and 2025 to do some damage this season, but to start the season, he has played more like the Bob of 2026, who had the worst year of his career.
Marchenko Injured
Leafs winger Kirill Marchenko left the game in the second period after getting knocked down by Calgary winger Yegor Sharangovich. Marchenko was in pain after the collision, tried to come back later in the period, but returned to the bench after a short shift and went to the dressing room.
“I don’t have the full update, but (he) couldn’t come back and finish the game, so that’s never a good sign.” Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said after the game.”
Marchenko has been a point-per-game player since being obtained from Columbus, so a loss of any length would be impactful to the Leafs, but without John Tavares, Toronto’s top six is beginning to get thin, as Gavin McKenna was inserted into a bigger role.
There is the possibility of a player being recalled from the AHL Marlies if the injury is lengthy; something that Toronto could ill afford.
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