I’m sure the Leafs would have loved to come out and respond with a statement game after goaltender Anthony Stolarz called them out for weak play in front of the net and lack of response to pressure in his crease. But that wasn’t the way the night would go. John Tavares opened the scoring in the second period, and, like so many times in the past, their opponent took over the game with a bunch of goals in a short period of time. Three goals in the first five minutes of the period is a great way to gift wrap your opponent the momentum, and the Devils snatched back any that the Leafs may have gotten from Matias Maccelli’s first goal as a Leaf later in the period.
It was an unfortunate performance from Stolarz, who had the right to call his team out for their effort on Saturday but didn’t hold up his end of the bargain on Sunday night. While factors such as Toronto failing to get a shot on goal until the halfway point of the third period don’t help the team much at all, neither does an .882 save percentage.
If you’re a Leafs-watching veteran, games like this so early in the season are not surprising. It’s extremely unfortunate that it’s happening with such a front-loaded home schedule and some relatively weak opponents, but the Leafs have historically had a hard time starting the season strong. At this point, all they can do is flush it and come back with a better effort next game. They need to come soon, the Blue Jays’ playoff run won’t last forever.
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