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. Watch Ken Campbell's video column for why the Toronto Maple Leafs won't be considered a serious Cup contender if they continue to play like this. Who does that? Well, the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] do. Twenty-four hours after giving up 39 shots and a five-spot in a loss to the Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins], the Maple Leafs once again coughed up five, this time on 47 shots, in a 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/game-day/that-s-one-you-can-really-circle-and-build-off-of-rod-brind-amour-taylor-hall-seth-jarvis-on-comeback-win-in-toronto]. 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 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/john-tavares-calls-maple-leafs-loss-to-hurricanes-immature] the Leafs are not playing a mature game, and coach Craig Berube [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/we-just-went-right-off-the-rails-maple-leafs-coach-craig-berube-frustrated-with-team-s-defensive-mistakes-in-back-to-back-losses] 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a233211e-0654-4f3c-a525-d79b391dc43d.png] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
