‘We’ve Been Too Inconsistent’: Maple Leafs Head Home From Western Road Trip Still In Search Of Identity

VANCOUVER — The Toronto Maple Leafs closed out a four-game western road trip with a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night at Rogers Arena, improving to 8-6-2 on the season and finishing the swing at 2-2. Yet the result did little to quiet the sense that this group is still searching for a consistent identity, a point coach Jim Hiller acknowledged directly after the win.

“I don’t think so,” Hiller said when asked if the team was honing a consistent identity. “I think we’ve been inconsistent, too inconsistent. If there’s one thing that I would point to is we’ve had some great moments in games, and we’ve had some times where we just haven’t had a good pushback. So that has to be addressed.”

The Canucks game followed a familiar pattern. The Leafs generated enough offense to pull away in the second period. Auston Matthews and Zack MacEwen scored in the middle frame, but the underlying numbers over the full trip continue to highlight defensive issues.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Toronto posted a 46.46 Corsi for percentage and a 50.48 expected goals percentage in the 7-2 win over Edmonton on Oct. 24, allowing 3.13 expected goals against. Two nights later in Calgary, those figures cratered to a 40.35 CF% and 38.58 xGF% in a 5-2 loss, with the Flames generating 4.57 expected goals against. Against Seattle on Oct. 28, the Leafs controlled more of the shot attempts (53.19 CF%) but still allowed a 30.77 high-danger chance percentage in a 5-4 defeat.

Even in Saturday’s win, the process was uneven. Hiller described the first and third periods as “just okay” while praising a strong second period built on forechecking.

“We forechecked, and we made contact on their D, and then we were quick to support it,” he said. “I thought we did that as well as we’ve done it all year in the second.”

That push coincided with a line shuffle that put Colton Sissons between Dakota Joshua and rookie Gavin McKenna. Hiller liked the looks of the trio.

“I actually thought that Sissons-Joshua-McKenna were really effective,” he said. “It’s probably the most Gavin’s had the puck in the ozone in a game. I would think with the puck on a stick, it was dangerous.”

Joshua and Chris Tanev, both returning to the lineup, were “really solid” according to Hiller, though he noted “a little rust on both of them.”

Joshua, who made his season debut following a core injury stemming from the offseason, led the game in both shots (five) and hits (seven). Four of those seven hits came in the first period.

Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves in the victory and improved to 5-1.

“You need everybody,” he said. “There’s a lot of them that come at you fast.”

The broader picture over the trip remains concerning on the defensive side. Toronto has struggled to consistently limit high-danger chances against, and the season-long advanced numbers reflect a team that has been more porous than its record suggests. Hiller expects the return home to help.

“It’ll be good to get home, catch our breath,” he said. “We were able to practice yesterday for the first time, and I don’t know how long. So we’re gonna have some good practice time in November. I think it’s really important for our team right now.”

The Leafs will head home on Sunday, where they will start a six-game homestand, beginning on Tuesday when they host the Utah Mammoth.

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