Three Leafs-Canadiens takeaways: Woll cleared of criticism during worst loss of the season

Woll was withdrawn after Josh Anderson had given the Canadiens a 4-0 lead in the second period, with Dennis Hildeby taking over in his absence. Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored the Leafs’ first goal, assisted by Easton Cowan and John Tavares. It’s no coincidence that all three skaters were the only Maple Leafs, besides Woll, exempt from criticism for Saturday’s game.

William Nylander added a power-play marker during the third period, cutting the Canadiens’ lead to 4-2 with just over minutes remaining.

Here are three takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 loss to the Canadiens:

The Maple Leafs had no answer when asked if the Canadiens’ star defensemen would join the rush

Toronto’s glaring inability to defend the cross-seam pass during rush scenarios has been evident all season and was exposed on Saturday. Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki was given all the time and space he wanted to find Hutson for the game’s opening goal. Brendan Gallagher pushes Troy Stecher out of the play, giving Cole Caufield plenty of room to operate. Caufield hands the ball to Suzuki, who then cuts apart the defense with the primary assist. Neither Steven Lorentz nor Bobby McMann take their place for Hutson and the score is 1-0.

Dobson’s first goal wasn’t in a rush scenario, but the Canadiens firmly established the zone and once again had all the space needed to pick apart the Maple Leafs. William Nylander didn’t bother to shut down Mike Matheson or Dobson as he was about to shoot, and it’s 2-0 Canadiens. It is Dobson’s second goal of the match that is perhaps more alarming.

Stecher throws the puck up the ice without its intended target, an easy interception for Matheson. Matheson taps the puck up the ice to Juraj Slafkovsky with one touch, creating a 3-on-2. Slafkovsky fires the ball low to Ivan Demidov, and Stecher watches idly as Dobson crashes down to make it 3-0 Canadiens.

It was a brutal night for the Maple Leafs, with a woeful defensive zone throughout. Josh Anderson fired a shot without any resistance to make it 4-0, and the game was effectively over. Toronto was the NHL’s worst defensive team through the first quarter of the season, with all its mistakes exposed Saturday. And it won’t get any easier as the severity of McCabe’s injury has yet to be determined.

Joseph Woll deserved better after being pulled in the second period

Woll did everything he could to keep the Maple Leafs in the game. Toronto controlled the game for the first 10 minutes, but after Hutson’s opening goal, the team capitulated to the goalkeeper. It would have been 3-0 Canadiens to end the first period, but Woll got a piece of his glove on a blind shot from Ivan Demidov to keep the game within striking distance.

The 27-year-old had to make multiple saves to open the second period, and got fed up after quitting with his mask off. Woll has started four straight games for the injury-plagued Maple Leafs, and despite his best efforts, the team is not gaining any ground.

“We just gave them freebies. I just said, ‘I had enough!'” Berube said of the decision to withdraw Woll, noting there was a conscious effort to conserve his energy, with Anthony Stolarz out of the lineup.

Woll is exempt from criticism for the Leafs’ biggest loss of the year. It may take more than solid goaltending to turn the season around.

Sentimental value has no place on a mediocre Leafs team

There is plenty of time to regroup before Wednesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sentimental value cannot further dictate the setup.