Some nights you can feel the weight of a team before the puck even drops. Tonight, like the Toronto maple leaves facing the St. Louis Blues, the loss to the Chicago Blackhawks weighs heavily. Another road stop turned into a tight game that slipped away at the wrong time.
The Maple Leafs were struggling against tough teams, and you could sense they were hoping the Blackhawks could provide some relief. That happiness did not exist. Toronto played well in stretches and even had the pace at times, but the same old cracks reappeared.
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With Joseph Woll finally back between the pipes and Easton Cowan returning from the American Hockey League (AHL), there were signs of life. But when you’re 8-9-2 and stuck in what feels like NHL quicksand, little bright spots don’t change the standings.
If the club wants to take two points from the Blues tonight, things need to change quickly. The team has to show up and play with purpose. Can they? What does the team need to clean up if they want to win tonight?
First, the Maple Leafs need to clean up the “passenger services” before sinking the season
The opening period told a familiar Maple Leafs story: too many players standing still, too many stick waves instead of real fights, and far too much reliance on the goalie to erase mistakes. Woll, fresh off barely any preseason work, had to make three big stops to keep them in it. He looked sharp – calm, steady, calm – but he was cleaning up after some nasty messes.
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That Bobby McMann-Max Domi-Matias Maccelli shift summed it up perfectly. They were hemmed in for nearly two minutes before the Blackhawks finally lined a clean, uncontested pass through the slot. The Maple Leafs offered little adversity, no desperation, just a slow-motion collapse. If the team wants to beat the Blues – who play linear and put hockey first – they can’t afford even one of those shifts. You can’t win if half a row decides to fly halfway through the service.
The bottom six forwards need to find some competitiveness. Hard stops and starts. Winning their share of pucks. The difference between playoff teams and lottery teams often lies in what happens on the third and fourth lines. Right now, Toronto’s depth is giving up more than it creates.
Second, the Maple Leafs have to Build on Tavares, Robertson and the kids pushing the pace
John Tavares isn’t getting any younger, but he’s certainly not slowing down. He dragged the Maple Leafs back into the Blackhawks game with his puck recovery and net drive. He was helped by Nicholas Robertson, who continues to treat every match like a job interview. Robertson has not been idle.
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He scored five goals and nine points in nine games. All his success came while the Maple Leafs’ ship was taking on water. That is no small achievement: playing well while the rest of the team does not.
Robertson brings the kind of energy the Maple Leafs need to bottle and pour over the rest of the bench. Easton Cowan brings the same spark. He’s raw but he makes things to happen. Against the Blackhawks, he had a two-on-one, a clear breakout, some tough forechecks and the ability to get open in dangerous spots. Yes, he missed. But he created them. You can coach structure; you can’t coach youthful hunger.
If the Maple Leafs want a different outcome on Tuesday, Cowan needs to stay in the lineup and play with pace players: Matthew Knies, Robertson and even a spark plug like McMann. This team desperately needs legs, not placeholders.
Third, the Maple Leafs need to clean up defensive details: stop the rush opportunities or prepare for more heartbreak
The worst moment of the night came early in the third: Phillippe Myers and Morgan Rielly were walked cleanly on a neutral-zone rush, and Chicago tied it with a highlight-reel finish. That goal changed the entire arena. Until then, Blackhawks fans were half asleep. One big gap, one stumble, and suddenly the Maple Leafs held their ground.
The Blues are built around rush pressure and heavy board play. If Toronto can’t close those lanes, it doesn’t matter who scores. Woll gave them 21 saves on 22 shots before that point, but they still lost in the end. That’s the part that stings: the goaltender performed, and the skaters couldn’t protect him when it mattered.
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This blue line is currently a patchwork, but there is no excuse for poor gap control and slow feet. If tonight is going to look different, the Maple Leafs will need cleaner exits, a tighter neutral zone structure and fewer hopeful poke checks.
Fourth, the Maple Leafs need to finish their chances, especially late
Toronto had more than enough looks to tie the game late. A couple of big faceoff wins, a battle up front, Jake McCabe out of the slot. But the team didn’t finish. That will be a theme. You look at the squad and see skills, but when you see them play you don’t always sense danger.
This can’t happen again against St. Louis. The Blues hit the net hard. If they don’t put bodies in that coffin, they’ll be taking innocent shots from outside all night long.
Where this now leaves the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs were the better team against Chicago for a long time, but here I am again talking about whether they can bounce back from another loss. It becomes a habit, and breaking (losing) habits is the hardest thing you can do. If the Maple Leafs want to stop the slide, they need three things: fewer passengers, more urgency from the depth players and a defensive effort worthy of the goaltender they finally have back.
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The ingredients for recovery are present. But time does not wait. Tonight it’s not about talent; it’s about who is ready to work.
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