Getting killed on the kill

You don't need to have the best penalty killing in the NHL to win the Stanley Cup, but it sure helps. One thing is certain, though: it really hurts to have bad penalty killing.

That is not good news for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs penalty kill has been a huge cause for concern during coach Ron Wilson's tenure. It actually may end up being the difference between Wilson receiving a contract extension or being set free at the end of the year, if not sooner.

Now in his fourth season administrating the bench, Wilson's Leafs have never finished better than 28th on the PK. That is way past embarrassing. The Leafs have been boasting recently they are encouraged with the direction it is going, but time and again, power play goals against are the deciding factor in Leafs losses.

It sure was against the Capitals in Washington Friday night. All of the Capitals goals came when Toronto had a man - or men - in the penalty box. It is getting to the point where Leafs management has to decide soon if the team either doesn't possess the right personnel or the right strategy. Or is it both?

For the most part the Leafs played a gritty, tough game against the Caps. During much of the 60 minutes they dominated the game, but when they took a penalty, it was like kryptonite to Superman. Crippling. Debilitating. Defeating. And that is not to suggest the Leafs are Superman.

On Tuesday at home, the Leafs took two penalties early in the game against the New Jersey Devils and allowed two power play goals. While Toronto commendably battled back to tie the contest and forced it to overtime, the Leafs ultimately lost 3-2.

It is becoming a very old and tired story. The Leafs often fall behind when they take penalties, work immensely hard to get back into the game, but then fall short. Their inability to kill off penalties may be their ticket to yet another sideline seat during playoff time.

It was more of the same old same old in Washington. Despite out-working and out-playing the Capitals in the first 20 minutes, Toronto's inability to defend while shorthanded crippled its hopes for a road victory. And while we're on the subject, that's four losses in five games - not exactly a trend the Leafs need this time of year after a blistering start.

"Five-on-five I thought we controlled, and at times, dominated the game," said Leafs coach Ron Wilson. "We didn't have much puck-luck, but bad penalties and undisciplined penalties did us in tonight; simple as that."

And one could make the case, so did bad calls.

Early in the first period Toronto's Jake Gardiner was sent off for slashing. It was a rather innocent tap by Gardiner on the stick of an opponent, but because the Capitals stick snapped on the shaft, he was sent off. Rather automatically.

(Just wondering: If the stick doesn't break on Gardiner's love-tap, there's no penalty, right? We often see harder, more intense slashes on sticks that don't result in a broken stick, so why does the NHL not realize there is an inconsistency on this particular play? Is this not more of a stick issue than a slashing issue? Discuss amongst yourselves.)

In the past 10 seasons, only once has a team finished outside of the top 10 in penalty killing and won the Stanley Cup. That was in 2003-4 when the Tampa Bay Lightning finished 14th, with an 81.5 per cent success rate.

Outside of that season, the Stanley Cup-winning team has finished anywhere between first (Detroit in 2001-02 and 2007-08 and Colorado in 2000-01) and ninth (Boston last season and Pittsburgh in 2008-09). In that span the Stanley Cup champ's worst penalty-killing success rate was Tampa at 81.5 and the best was New Jersey in 2002-02 at 87.8.

Following the loss in Washington the Leafs sit at 75.5 per cent. That is lower than last season when they finished 28th at 77.4 per cent and only marginally higher than the previous two years when they were dead last at 74.6 and 74.7 per cent.

The Leafs have a good thing going this season. But if they cannot come up with a formula to keep pucks out of their net when they are shorthanded, it will ultimately end with a very sad and typical result.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.