The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive lapses are becoming a big problem. Serious Stanley Cup contenders don't have those types of bad habits.
TORONTO - So, you give up four clear-cut breakaways in the second period, and your goaltender and goal posts save you from embarrassment. You go into the dressing room between periods and, presumably, you vow to be better.
Then you get outshot 22-2 in the third and throw away two points that were firmly in your grasp.
Who does that? Well, the Toronto Maple Leafs do.
Twenty-four hours after giving up 39 shots and a five-spot in a loss to the Boston Bruins, the Maple Leafs once again coughed up five, this time on 47 shots, in a 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
If you're a Leafs fan, you'd love to say this is a blip. But it's not. The Maple Leafs are a very bad defensive team, and all the under-the-hood numbers scream that from the mountain tops.
John Tavares said the Leafs are not playing a mature game, and coach Craig Berube said there simply isn't any urgency to do what's needed to defend.
They're both right. And unless they find a way to reverse a trend that seems to have become a habit, the Maple Leafs will not be considered a serious Stanley Cup contender.
Watch today's video column up above for the full story.
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