The slumping Maple Leafs have one game left on their five game homestand from hell and five games on their docket before the Olympic break.
If this team has any chance of crawling out of this mess and making the playoffs, getting this one against Buffalo is of vast importance. Boston got a point on Monday night, which means the Leafs are now six points out of a playoff spot. Buffalo, Boston, and Montreal all have 63 points.
Jay Rosehill was back in the mix for the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take, and unsurprisingly, he had a lot to say. Before getting his thoughts on Nylander’s fine/bird flip, Rosey weighed in on Toronto’s tumultuous weekend. Just 10 days ago, we were talking about sunshine and rainbows, now, we’re talking scorched earth and deadline selling. It’s been embarrassment on the ice and distraction after distraction off of it. This team is in trouble.
At any rate, Buffalo’s in town. They’ve been playing with desperation and urgency for two months now. Following his turbulent outing against Colorado, Joseph Woll will get a chance to redeem himself. So, again, what was the point of activating Stolarz? Any way you slice, the Leafs need this one badly. They need to dig deep and find a way. They’ve dropped four in a row, and as mentioned above, their aspirations of making the post-season are slipping away. Calle Jarnkrok will draw back in, Jacob Quillan will sit. No Nylander.
Meantime, Matthew Barnaby came out swinging — as usual — during his time with us. He was blunt, honest, and fair in his assessment, taking direct aim at Auston Matthews’ leadership and going as far as to suggest the Leafs will never win a Stanley Cup with Matthews as captain. Barnaby also questioned the leadership core as a whole, saying the team comes off as lazy — and, worse, comfortable with it Barnaby didn’t spare anyone, holding both management and players accountable for the current mess. He also raised eyebrows over the Anthony Stolarz situation, questioning how Stolarz was able to call his own shot on when he returned to the lineup. Finally, we touched on the red-hot Buffalo Sabres, what to expect from them, and what’s clicked for the franchise since firing their GM. Despite all the criticism, Barnaby still picked the Leafs to win tonight.
Looking forward to breaking the game down on the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Also, Carter Hutton, former NHL goalie and co-host of Daily Faceoff Live, will stop by to weigh in on the crease and this disaster —as a whole.
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