Maple Leafs’ Jim Hiller Says Lack Of Practice Time Amid Early Schedule Has Hurt Elements Of Their Game

VANCOUVER — After consecutive road losses in Calgary and Seattle, the Maple Leafs used an extended Friday practice at UBC Thunderbird Arena to address structural issues that have surfaced during a congested schedule. 

Staff identified turnovers and an inability to sustain offensive-zone pressure as primary problems, with opposing teams converting rush counter-attacks when the Leafs failed to stay connected as a five-man unit.

“We've practiced maybe two or three times in the last month so it's really been something that I believe has hurt our game. So we took some time today to go a little slower and work through some things,” Hiller acknowledged. “I'm not going to tell you what they were, but I think we made some progress in some areas that we've been struggling.”

One thing that was evident: when Hiller blew the whistle during a drill, a line would quickly scurry to the bench to allow for a fresh set of players. Hiller explained that poor change execution had directly contributed to scoring chances against. 

“Just cleaning up our line changes just a little bit. That’s an important part of the game when you go through chances. A lot of times, a good chunk of them come off of line changes and being organized coming out of it and also getting on and off the ice quickly. That’s an area of the game we wanted to touch up.”

The Leafs are currently winning (or staying competitive) primarily through elite finishing/special teams rather than strong 5-on-5 defensive structure or shot suppression, and that has led to some Grade-A chances from their opponents.

Following Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, the club will be home for nearly a full three consecutive weeks, which they feel will set them up better to spend practices cleaning up more elements of their game. 

Data courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and NaturalStatTrick.com