TORONTO – They were 10 minutes that got the Toronto Maple Leafs back into another game they would ultimately lose. But they were also 10 minutes that showed that this team might not be as far down a hole as most would have you believe.
During the first half of the second period on Tuesday night, the Leafs played the kind of hockey coach Randy Carlyle has been looking for. They forechecked hard. They drew penalties. They scored twice.
Oh, and they outshot the San Jose Sharks by a staggering margin of 16-4.
“I think that’s a good measuring stick for us,” said Leafs centre Trevor Smith.
Of course, they couldn’t maintain it for a long enough stretch to beat arguably the top team in the NHL. Baby steps. It was penalty trouble the put Toronto behind 2-0 early on and a painful one minute and 48 second shift where the fourth line got stuck on the ice that eventually cost them the game.
That came just before Brad Stuart banked in the winning goal at 16:00 of the second period. From there, the Sharks went into lockdown mode and neither team generated much offence while that was happening.
“When you give a team like that a lead going into the third [period] on the road, they’re just going to keep it simple,” Smith said after a 4-2 loss that included an empty-netter. “They limited our chances and didn’t give up many odd man rushes.”
Added Carlyle: “They forced us to play more in our own zone. They went four across [in the neutral zone] and we didn’t dump the puck in in a couple situations.”
However, despite a sixth loss in seven games, there was a much more positive air around the Leafs afterwards than there has been of late. The dominant stretch in the middle frame seemed to be the source of the optimism, especially given that it came after a dispiriting opening 20 minutes.
Toronto has been badly in need of something to shake out of its slumber. Against the Sharks, Smith got things started by drawing a couple penalties – both power plays turned into Toronto goals – and David Clarkson would have put them ahead had his shot at an open net not hit the crossbar and stayed out.
There was no question that they managed to put San Jose on its heels, something few would have expected to see at any stage of a matchup that looked like a mismatch on paper. That was an encouraging sign after the Leafs had the play taken to them far too often during recent losses at Montreal, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
“We were moving our feet,” explained forward Mason Raymond, who scored his 10th goal of the season. “I think that’s the biggest thing. We were hard on the forecheck and were not receiving the play. I think it’s as simple as that.
“That was a team that is top of the league and is a benchmark for us. We realized where they’re at and what we have to do to get to that level.”
The biggest concern coming out of the game was the status of top line centre Tyler Bozak, who missed a couple long stretches with an undisclosed upper-body injury. That included most of Toronto’s good run during the second period – although he did return briefly to set up Phil Kessel’s 15th goal of the season – and all of the final 20 minutes.
The training room continues to be an awfully busy spot in the Leafs dressing room. Players like Smith and Peter Holland have been thrust into more meaningful roles as a result and others like James van Riemsdyk continue to play more than 20 minutes per game.
“We’re taxing a lot of people here right now,” said Carlyle.
They have no choice but to trudge on and will a host a Dallas Stars team on Thursday night that has plenty of injury concerns of its own. While much has been made of Toronto’s tough December schedule, it will play 10 of 14 games overall at Air Canada Centre, where it has a 9-5-0 record so far this season.
If they are able to pull out of the current nosedive, the Leafs might point back to an encouraging stretch of dominance against San Jose as the turning point.
“It’s disappointing [to lose], but that’s one of the best teams in the league over there,” said Toronto goalie James Reimer, who finished with 37 saves. “I believe in this team like I never have. I think we’ve got a great team in here and I believe in every guy. I think that’s how everyone feels.
“You go through rough spells sometimes – that’s just the way it goes.”
For it to be considered just a spell it has to end soon.
