LAS VEGAS — These Toronto Maple Leafs have two games to choose from, and one of them is atrocious.
That’s the door they selected in Las Vegas Monday night, to the bleary-eyed dismay of any local fans of the team who dared stay up late on a school night to watch such a dismal and disorganized display.
“Unacceptable,” Mitch Marner said.
“Came out flat,” William Nylander said.
“We just got beat by a team tonight that was better than us in all facets,” Sheldon Keefe summed up his group’s 3-1 loss to the Vegas Gold Knights.
The scoreboard was quite flattering and did not include ironman Phil Kessel’s would-be 400th career goal, which was rubbed away due to Keefe’s successful offside challenge early.
With a chance to build momentum from engaged and hard-fought victories last week over Dallas and Winnipeg — a pair of W’s that had helped Toronto wash the sour taste of Coyotes from its mouth — the players instead tiptoed into a match against a fast, structured Knights team that exposed defensive gaffes.
Odd-man rushes, dangerous cross-seam plays and easy access to Ilya Samsonov’s crease allowed the home side to pump Grade-A chances aplenty and nearly burn a hole through Toronto’s crease on the shot-attempt heat map.
“It should have been probably a different score in that game without him in that net,” Marner said of a dialled-in Samsonov, who takes his first L as a Leaf after getting outshot 33-23.
True, the Maple Leafs have only lost thrice this season, but how they’ve lost — with sloppy play and uninspired pushback against teams that missed the post-season last spring — should be of some mild concern.
Is it a preparation issue?
“Certainly was an issue tonight, in all three periods. I share in that as well. My job is to prepare the team,” said Keefe, having watching the Knights dance behind his blueliners without harm.
“Yeah, that’s a concern. It was too easy for them to do that tonight.”
The coach chose his words carefully and kept his responses short, but no doubt he was visibly — and justly — ticked-off by his team’s showing.
The Maple Leafs pride themselves as possession hounds, yet on this night they generated just 38.6 per cent of expected goals at even-strength. Their bottom six failed to get traction. And their superstar duo, Auston Matthews and Marner, haven’t been able to produce — despite some golden looks.
“Yeah, it sucks. It’s frustrating for sure,” said Matthews, a 60-goal man whose only goal bounced off him. “But I think we’re getting the chances, and I just need one to go in.”
As ugly as the performance was, the Maple Leafs can take solace in what appears to be an averted crisis.
John Tavares — off to a scorching start — took a blistering Rasmus Sandin slap shot near his left knee and crumpled to the ice. In terrible pain, he needed to be helped off the ice by his wingers in the third period.
Shockingly, the captain returned to the game late.
“It’s scary when you see anyone go down like that and get helped off like how he did,” Marner said. “I honestly didn’t know he was back until I saw him taking that face-off.
“He’s a warrior.”
The Maple Leafs have a day off Tuesday in Las Vegas and will practice here Wednesday before flying to San Jose for the California leg of their road trip.
“It’s gonna be great. It’s gonna be a nice time for everyone kinda get together have some fun here and just relax. Enjoy the sun, enjoy the heat,” Marner said.
“Get our mindset ready for San Jose.”
Which game will they choose to play for that one?
Fox’s Fast 5
• Wayne Simmonds on playing Ironman Phil Kessel: “Playing against Philly, I’m just chatting him up a little bit, and he always makes you laugh. You don’t want to smile, but he always makes you laugh. You can’t really help it with that voice of his, right?”
• Great line by Knights coach Bruce Cassidy when a reporter began his Kessel question: “He’s a guy that doesn’t like the attention…”
Cassidy, smiling: “He doesn’t like to stretch either.”
• During his pre-game interview with the local broadcast, Kessel was asked if he remembered the game his 989-game streak began.
He didn’t.
Kessel was reminded that it was in Toronto against the Lightning. He ripped 10 shots on net in his return from shoulder surgery. That rang a bell.
“I got killed that game,” Kessel smiled. “Mattias Ohlund hit me that game hard. I still remember that game now that you bring it up.”
• Every game element in Vegas is sponsored. The replays, the power-plays, the helmets, the sweaters, the Zambonis, the goals, the glowing dashboard ads, the shovelling of the ice during a TV timeout… you name it, the Knights will monetize it.
The second period isn’t simply Period 2. It’s the Toyota Second Period™. Even the announcement of “last minute to play in the period” is branded. It’s the Credit One One To Go™.
HRR you ready for the cap to go up?
• Mitch Marner says he’s not bothered by the blow to the face he suffered in Winnipeg Saturday. Dylan DeMelo’s check into the dasher has left a mark.
“I don’t feel it, to be honest. It’s just funny once people see it. The first text I got was from my mom about thinking I lost some teeth. Same as my fiancée,” Marner says.
“Kinda funny. I look like I got jumped or something. But I’m all good.”