The first and second period were so dominant from the Leafs I thought there would be no way they were losing this game. The Tavares line and Holl were by far the best players on the ice, Willy had multiple scoring chances, puck possession and offensive zone time was off the charts and Freddy was dialed in again. There was one point in the first period where the Tavares line were moving the puck around in the Flames end for an entire shift and the Leafs were able to make an entire line change while still keeping the puck in.
However, the neutral zone turnovers continue to be a problem. Almost all of them resulted in a shot on goal or a scoring chance. And then when the 3rd period started, they somehow thought they had the game in the bag with only a one goal lead, came out flat and started making sloppy, poor passes. Freddy tried to flip it off the glass over everyone's heads and out of the zone when he had an easy play behind him to Barrie, but he flips the puck too low and it's stopped and passed to Johnny Ham 'n' Cheese to tie the game up. Now you're on your heels.
On the Flames next goal, Spezza makes an unnecessary one-touch pass behind Petan in the neutral zone that's out of his reach, that creates a turnover and Frolik is able to break in and score. I also think Freddy might want that one back because I feel like on Tuesday night, that puck is probably stopped. Also on this play, it looks to me like Barrie initially thinks he can poke the puck from Rieder after Petan fails to retrieve the puck but the distance he is away from the puck is clearly much larger than Rieder's. Barrie is also a little too high up in the zone to begin with after he sends the puck back to Rielly, especially when you already have Aberg at the blue-line on that side. His priority should've been to be conservative in that situation and it bites him in the ass here.
Then on the very next shift, Tavares and Marner just give up playing hockey and watch the Flames move the puck and score.
I thought almost everyone was going to have a grade above a C+, but there are some demotions due to the third period effort.
Report cards:
Sheldon Keefe - A
I'm loving his decision making every game. He had the 1st PP unit stay on the ice for the entire 2-man advantage, he put the 2nd unit out for about 30 seconds when it became 5 on 4, and then got the 1st unit back out again as soon as he could. Babs would've put the 2nd unit out for a full minute when there was 30 seconds left in the 2-man advantage. And it worked because the 1st unit ended up generating more chances the second time they were out than the first time. He doesn't put the fourth line out after his team scores a goal and instead of benching a forward who can't get anything going or let them dig themselves out of a hole by demoting them to the third or fourth line, he tries to stick them on a line with players that can help. I was a little surprised how early he pulled Freddy (more than 3:30 left in the game) but fortunately it didn't backfire.
Justin Holl - A-
What a game from this guy. If you didn't think he was the Leafs best D-man last night, you don't know what you're talking about. There were so many times he had great patience with the puck in his own end where instead of forcing a pass, he'd either turn around to wait for an outlet or hang on to it and fool the Flames forward. His very first shift of the game he had a nice little move at the blue line and it continued from there. Defensively, he was much, much better than Tuesday night. I honestly think he only lost one puck battle in his own end and it was in the 3rd. I was always a Holl fan since seeing him play last pre-season and felt he should've always been in the lineup over Marincin, but for whatever reason Babs just didn't like him. Well, look at him now Mike. He's got great confidence with the puck and he's come a long way.
Zach Hyman - A-
It was another JT/Hyman/Mitch show for the first 40 minutes and another classic Hyman game. It's hard not to regurgitate the reports I gave him the last two nights because they all looked like the same game. On the Leafs second goal, Hyman makes the smart play to go straight to the net forcing Hanifin and Hamonic to be aware of him behind them and also creates traffic in front of Rittich. This leaves JT and Marner to stay high with more open ice. It also helped that the Flames' forwards made a bad line change while the Leafs were on the rush:
Could've had an A if he didn't give up on that 4th Flames goal and I saw about 4 blatant turnovers from him. He had that one at the end of the game with the goalie pulled in the o-zone, and two or three in the neutral zone. Other than that though, he was his elite self. So many good plays again; that backhand pass to Tavares on the first goal was sexy. He barely has any room here between the Flames D and the net and he fools everyone by turning his body as if he's going to go to his forehand and possibly throw the puck around the boards to the D:
This was one of his best games of the year. He stole the puck multiple times and actually used his body a few times and was just snapping it around all game. Would obviously love to see more games like this from him.
John Tavares - B+
Same grade demotion as Marner due to his lack of effort on multiple shifts and that fourth Flames goal, but again, he had a strong game and was rewarded with a goal and an apple. The past few games, he's been looking like the Tavares I saw playing in Long Island where he had patience with the puck, used his body to his advantage and made elite plays. More games like this please and thank you! But he can't take shifts off like he did last night.
Morgan Rielly - B+
Better game than Tuesday from him as well. He didn't have many moments where his new lack of speed was an issue this game and he was making much better passes than Tuesday. He looked confident again moving around in the offensive zone and while in the defensive zone he was snapping around solid breakout passes. That strong back-check and the stick-check he made to stop a breakaway after a bad Barrie pinch got me on my feet. It wasn't a perfect game; he had a moment in the first period where he lost the puck in his own zone and then Barrie was out-beat to the puck which resulted in a Flames scoring chance. He also made the wrong decision to turn around and skate towards his own net on the Frolik goal. I think if he just squared up and skated backwards he could've been able to poke the puck from Rieder or possibly take the body on him. Regardless, that goal wasn't his fault and the rest of his game was one of his better games this year. He had 2 shots on goal, won multiple puck battles, didn't have issues coming out of his own zone and looked more like the Rielly I know and love.
Travis Dermott - B+
Pretty much the same solid game he had Tuesday in Vancouver. I was a Dermott fan as soon as I saw his hustle his first few games as a Leaf and tonight, he had that same hustle. On his first shift in the first period, he had a great back-check and rubbed a guy out to gain possession. He was busting his ass to loose pucks to get there first and then made tape-to-tape passes. NHL.com says he didn't get any shots but I'm almost positive he had at least one in the 2nd period. He didn't have any scoring chances per se but he made some great passes in the offensive zone and defensively he was stellar. Like the rest of the team though, I saw moments where he let up in the third period and that can't happen.
Freddy Andersen - B+
It looked like another A or A+ game for him until the 3rd period. He made a couple backyard catches again, was shutting down the few scoring opportunities the Flames had and as usual, was giving his team a chance to win. Then he makes the wrong decision to flip it off the glass which results in a goal. The Frolik shot wasn't weak by any means but I still think he could've made a save on that. My mom was always happy when I got a B+ on my report cards though.
William Nylander - B+
He had buckets of scoring chances and shots last night but again couldn't just get one past the goalie. I thought for sure he was going to score. I loved his puck movement and he had a great effort until the third period obviously, but I was happy with his game for the most part. However, it wasn't all roses. On this first Flames goal, he comes off the bench and skates across the ice to Marner's side and then hangs out in the middle of the ice leaving the left side wide open for Hamonic to walk in. He should've stayed on that side to cover any Flames coming in the zone because Tavares is late back-checking, for whatever reason. You also have four Leafs players on one side of the ice here:
This was an odd game for me to grade for everyone but especially for Papi. He had some great scoring chances again but just couldn't bury. He rang one off the post in the 3rd that I thought for sure was going in but I thought he was also kind of fighting the puck a lot - he had two glaring moments where he just lost it stick handling which resulted in a turnover; once in the neutral zone and once in the offensive zone. He turned it over twice again in his own zone but he'd make up for it later by pushing someone off the puck or stealing it back. I think he needs to use his speed more. Last night there were times where he could've just skated around a guy with the puck and get to the net but instead he'd stop moving his feet and look to make a fancy pass. He looked lazy in the third period to me at times but near the end of the game made some nice passes in front of the net that were almost goals. I also loved that he got pissed and knocked Hamonic on his ass behind the net late in the game. Not a complete all-around game from him and he needs to be better than that.
Ilya Mikheyev - B-
Better game for him than Tuesday night and had some shots on goal. He had his best shift in the second period where he went for a skate with the puck in the o-zone twice around and had two scoring chances on that shift. I love the way he buckles down when he carries the puck around a defender and prepares to use his size and speed if someone tries to push him off the puck or steal it from him. I'm not expecting him to get a goal every game because he doesn't really seem to have a great shot, but if his line mates can play consistently he could start getting some goals. He's a lunch-pale guy and should be getting some more garbage goals.
Pierre Engvall - B-
I didn't have anything bad written down for the Giraffe at all. I'm biased because I'm an Engvall fan, but he created two turnovers by knocking the puck loose from a Flame and he had nice little move that he made around Lucic in the D-zone during the 2nd period. He's great defensively and he's a smart player at both ends of the ice. I know his line didn't get any points and they didn't generate offence like the first two lines, but you can't really complain about a tight first two periods like that from your third line.
Jake Muzzin - B-
Much better game from him too. Two nice hits; one on Tkachuk and one on Monahan. He had 2 shots on goal and was making better passes for the most part. However, he ended up being a -2 and there were some brutal passes from him. He fanned on one in the neutral zone which forced Holl to try and fetch it and ended up taking an unintentional penalty on the play. But then on that PK, he broke up a play and was able to clear the puck out of the zone. He had two passes that would've been considered suicide passes back in the day, but in this day and age the puck is just poked or stolen instead of the guy being flattened. I saw him turn the puck over in his own end with about 30 seconds left in the 2nd and he made a muffin pass along the boards to Hyman in the third. I still liked the majority of his play last night but I know he can still have better games.
Cody Ceci - B-
Another pretty solid game for Ceci again. I don't know if he's on the Russian Gas or what but I'll take it. Of course he's no Lidstrom, but I had more positive things written down than negative. For the positive: he won several puck battles in his own end or was able to rub a guy out for another Leaf to pick up the puck, kept the puck in the o-zone a few times, made a nice backhand pass behind his net to Dermott and he ended up getting another assist. For the negative: he's not a good skater, he was slow to get to loose pucks a few times, he made a brutal pass into Engvall's skates in the 3rd and later on he flipped a backhand pass to Hyman on the side boards when he had time to just pass it normally and not force Hyman to battle the retrieval. Considering he didn't singlehandedly cost any of his team's goals and he got a point, solid game from Cody.
Tyson Barrie - C+
This was a bit of a rocky game from him again. Half of his game was solid and the other half was not. He started the game great but then made some mistakes that looked more like a bottom pair defenceman than a top pairing one. He had a shot on goal on his first or second shift and then broke up a pass in his own end. But as time went on, he was out-beat to the puck on a delayed icing call and a scoring chance ensued, he left Rielly out to dry on that pinch to back-check hard and stop the Mangiapane breakaway, he got beat to the puck multiple times, his pinching was successful only 50% of the time and he allowed multiple scoring chances. He definitely did not have a great 3rd period. I mentioned earlier his poor decision on that Spezza giveaway on the neutral zone that lead to the Frolik goal, and when they had pressure in the 3rd period and he got the puck at the blue-line, he had a clear shot to the net and missed it wide. There was a moment when he had time to keep possession in his own end and wait for an outlet pass but instead just slapped it around the boards which was a turnover. He still hasn't really impressed me this year and it's just decreasing the dollar amount on his upcoming contract renewal.
Alex Kerfoot - C+
Better game for him than Tuesday night. He had no problem this time carrying the puck in and looked the opposite of slow out there. However, just not much offence created from him. I was high on him before this year but it's clear he's not Kadri. The thing that frustrates me the most is he never hits anybody. So many times he has hits lined up along the boards and he just swats or pokes at the puck with his stick which almost never works. I know he's not a big guy, but neither was Kadri and neither is Kapanen and they throw their weight around when they can. The only time I really saw a hit from him was a dangerous play that he got suspended two games for.
Pontus Aberg - C
Again, barely noticeable but did some good things. It's clear to me that's he's not as fast as the rest of his teammates which is why I like him better on the fourth line than with Matthews and Nylander. He missed an easy pass from Spezza in the neutral zone that resulted in a turnover but then made up for it in the 2nd period when he stole the puck in his own zone and chipped it to Hyman who carried it down the ice and got it over to Marner who had a scoring chance. Other than that, I forgot he was in the lineup which is probably a good thing - it means he's not out of place.
Kasperi Kapanen - C
This kid needs to focus and pick up his game. He can be much, much better. He had a terrible game Tuesday but last night he at least had a couple chances. He's definitely not as smart of a hockey player as his line mates though. He makes some dumb decisions with the puck and had 3-4 neutral zone turnovers. At one point in the 2nd, Matthews gave him an easy neutral zone pass and Kappy somehow just botched the retrieval and turned it over and the play ended up in his own end. There was a play later on where Mikheyev was rushing towards the net and Kappy threw a pass to him that was the right idea but missed him. I still love his hustle most nights though. He had some solid defensive efforts and used his body well and had a shot on goal after a nice pass from Willy in the 3rd period. Still need much more from him. Last night was a game where Matthews and Willy couldn't bury and you need your depth guys to chip in and it just didn't happen.
Jason Spezza - C-
Kind of a rough game for him tonight. He didn't need to one-touch that pass to Petan in the neutral zone that resulted in the Flames goal. I know he thought Petan wasn't going to move towards the blue-line but he had time to stop it on his stick first which would've given him the time to see Petan move forward. That could've been a better pass for him to make on Petan's tape, throw it on Barrie's tape for him to carry it or flip it in the zone, or he could've banked it off the boards into the corner for Petan to chase it. He made a couple more poor passes in his own zone as well. For the first two periods though, he was winning puck battles and had a nice shot on the PP but his errors outweighed the positives this time.
Nic Petan - C-
His motto should be "poor kid". I absolutely love his hustle every game which I feel doesn't deserve a D grade, but he's just not a smart professional hockey player and he fought the puck again last night. He's still skilled though; he usually has nice hands when he has the puck and he's a solid skater. But in terms of hockey IQ and being consistent, it's just not there. He lost the puck stick-handling in his own end in the first period with no one around him and had a couple bad outs from his end from just fighting the puck on his stick. He might forever be a "bubble" guy: not quite good enough for the show but a great AHLer. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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