Wednesday’s Maple Leafs vs Devils game was a tough one to watch for Leafs Nation. The Leafs did not look good defensively as Jake Gardiner and the young defense pairing of Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman got exposed and was out of place on many plays.
A lot has been made of the play of Frederik Andersen so far this season. He started off strong in Winnipeg, but has since let in a few too many goals. I personally don’t think its so much his play as the goals are more a result of the defensive play of the team in front of him. Leafs need to better as a team. They do not have a single defensive defenseman that can clear the front of the net.
I’m sure Mike Babcock is all over this and things will get rectified sooner rather than later. There are currently too many penalties in games with the crackdown on slashing and the flow to games are no longer there. Teams will adjust.
Happy 6500th (game), Toronto! #StandWitness pic.twitter.com/Pc1eRYv2Fo
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 11, 2017
A hard lesson at home. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/CkhYT2KxxY
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 12, 2017