In the first game of their series, the Columbus Blue Jackets put on a world class defensive performance that stifled the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs managed to find passing lanes through the Blue Jackets’ defence, connecting 17 times on passes to the slot in the Columbus zone at even strength, but their shooters were tightly checked and only managed to get eight shots on net from the slot.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets were able to dominate in the Leafs’ end from the high slot area. Both goaltenders gave their teams strong performances, and one mistake ended up deciding the game. Even with the result being so close, it was obvious that the Leafs were going to need to make some changes to gain an advantage.
In Game 2, it was obvious from the outset that Toronto had found what it needed to get the job done in the offensive zone, even if it took a while to get a goal on the board.
From Game 1 to Game 2, the Leafs’ more than doubled their expected goals total, while cutting the Blue Jackets’ expected goals in half. With numbers like this, it’s obvious the Leafs dominated the shot clock and the scoring chances, but what changed in their approach or performance that allowed this to happen aside from execution in the offensive zone?
In Game 1, the Leafs were dominated in the neutral zone by the ferocious checking of the Blue Jackets, who are not only excellent defensively, but also win puck battles at a higher rate on average. The Leafs were only able to win 41.3 per cent of the loose pucks in the neutral zone, giving the Blue Jackets the ability to dictate where the puck was going.
In Game 2, though, the Leafs flipped the script and controlled 60.8 per cent of the loose pucks in the neutral zone. Similarly, the Leafs went from removing possession from the Blue Jackets in the neutral zone just seven times in Game 1, to 23 times in Game 2, and doubled their neutral zone takeaways from nine to 18. That’s a huge upgrade in the Leafs’ neutral zone defence.
Toronto’s improved neutral zone defence cut down the controlled entries Columbus was able to generate from 17 in Game 1 to 12 in Game 2. This isn’t a huge drop, but the extra pucks the Leafs won improved their own controlled entries from 17 in Game 1 to 28 in Game 2, which allowed them to triple their chances generated off the rush from just two, to six.
From a puck management perspective, the Leafs also improved greatly from their Game 1 efforts. In the first game of the series, the Leafs were sloppy with the puck in their own zone, turning it over on 16.8 per cent of their attempted plays — in Game 2 that fell to just 8.3 per cent in a 3-0 victory.
While all their scoring was at even strength, the Leafs kept up the pressure on the power play as well, which they weren’t able to do in Game 1 when they generated just a single shot attempt from the slot on their one man advantage. In Game 2 the Leafs perforated the Blue Jackets on the power play with 13 shot attempts from the slot.
Toronto’s attention to detail on defence led the Blue Jackets to commit more infractions, and the Leafs kept the momentum going when they were afforded those power plays.
Then, of course, there were the singular players who stood up in Game 2, chief among them being John Tavares. In Game 1, Tavares managed a single shot attempt from the slot in a relatively underwhelming performance. In Game 2, though, he ripped three shot attempts at the net at even strength, and a whopping five on the power play, leading both teams with eight overall.
In all likelihood, the Blue Jackets will respond to the Leafs in the same way that the Leafs responded to them, so this series isn’t over by any means. The intensity and attention to detail that many have been wanting to see from the Leafs for a long time was finally present in Game 2. The question now is whether they can continue that approach consistently, and without Jake Muzzin.
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