The Toronto Maple Leafs’ special teams were a struggle in their Game 5 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. 

On home ice, with a chance to eliminate the Senators and advance to the second round, the Leafs came up short, again, in an elimination game. Their power play, which was considered a strength early in the series, went 0-for-3 and gave up its second short-handed goal in the second consecutive game. Toronto's special teams lapse was a major factor in a 4-0 shutout loss that now sends the series back to Ottawa for Game 6. 

“We’ve got to be more direct there with our power play,” head coach Craig Berube said post-game. “I didn't think our power play was direct enough tonight, and shot volume and getting stuff to the net. And then the third, like, that power play hurt us.”

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That failed third-period opportunity Berube was referring to wasn’t just ineffective – it was a momentum killer. With the Leafs trailing 1-0, Auston Matthews attempted a pass to Mitch Marner back towards the blue line that was picked off by Adam Gaudette, who led a 2-on-1 rush and set up Dylan Cozens for a short-handed goal 8:24 into the final frame.

“I just tried to find Mitchy up top. I thought we kind of drew them in. I didn’t see the guy there, and he obviously picked it off. That’s on me. I got to make the better play,” Matthews explained. “Like I said, I thought the first two power plays, we made some good plays, some good opportunities, and then we just got away from that simplicity and outnumbering guys at the net and just trying to convert.”

Frustration boiled over for the Leafs’ captain, who broke his stick over the bench moments after returning to the bench. 

Since 2018, the Leafs are now 1-13 in elimination games. Over that stretch, their power play has converted just once in 31 opportunities (3.2%). In this series, Toronto opened strong with five power-play goals through the first three games, but they’ve gone cold in the last two potential elimination games – 0-for-4 in Game 4 and 0-for-3 in Game 5.

Not to mention, the club came up empty-handed with a double-minor, four-minute power-play on Saturday night in overtime during Game 4.

“We’ll look at what we can do better and figure it out,” said Mitch Marner following Tuesday's loss.

It’s not just the results but the approach. Matthews admitted that the team has gotten away from the formula that made the power play successful early in the series – simplicity, puck movement, and numbers at the net.

“The execution, at times, wasn’t there,” said Matthews.

“I think just kind of forcing some stuff. I think we just have to get back to simplicity, having to bring guys to the net, getting some pucks through and going from there. I thought we had good looks in the first one or two, some good chances. I just thought we kind of got away from that and forcing plays that doesn’t help,” he added.

Aside from the two short-handed markers, the Leafs have limited the Senators to just three power-play goals, all coming over a three-game stretch from Games 2-4, not surrendering more than one in any game.

Toronto had the opportunity to close out the series on home ice, their second attempt to end it. Instead, it was another missed chance in a long line of them, marked by a lack of execution and killer instinct that’s plagued the ‘Core Four’ era. 

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With Game 6 in Ottawa on Thursday, the Leafs now find themselves in familiar territory as another opportunity to advance to the second round awaits.

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