What do we have here?

It is amazing what listening to your coach can do.  Last time I blogged, the Leafs were throwing all caution to the wind. Defense was gone. In fact, it was banned from their vocabulary.   Andersen was the defense everyone else was in the other end.

So what changed? It certainly was not Babcock; Mike has been teaching "defense first" all season. The forwards were not coming back into the defensive zone at all, paying too much attention to the stats.  They were following the leaders of this team, so when the leaders changed, the teams changed. Kadri was the first to change when he started playing with intensity. JVR and Bozak are beginning to do what it takes. The even better news is, the offense has remained as the Leafs defense has improved.

Babcock knows darn well what wins cups.  Defensive responsibility in their own end. The offense will take care of itself. The Leafs no longer have to score five goals to win.  Because forwards are coming back, the defense doesn't have to panic. Giving the defense a target to pass the puck is vital to this team success. Sometimes, it may take a couple of passes to get out of a zone, and that is a good thing.  Get excited people: this Leaf team could be special. Come along for the ride.

Maple Leafs: Defense, defense, defense - same old story

The Leafs had a rough road trip as their defence was, let's say, exposed. But to be fair, the forwards were not exactly helpful,  Still too many giveaways in our zone and too many mistakes.

The biggest problem is defensive zone coverage let-down. It seems that someone is not getting the memos about common sense. Two or three times a game, someone will lose track of where their man is, allowing him to score. Forwards are cherry picking and not coming back to help the defence. Too many passes to no one in particular, causing two-on-ones. The defenseman left back has no idea of what he is doing, leaving Andersen to his own devices.

Please get us a defenseman. Ron Hainsey has been all right since signing, but he cannot do this on his own. Forwards have to come back. Marner is struggling and has to contribute in other ways in the defensive zone. Of course, he has company. I could easily mention other forwards, but I would be here all day.

The offence is awesome, but sooner or later it will slow down. Before that happens, the Leafs have to shore up the defence.  Don't take shortcuts. Start working together as a team. It is easy to blame the defence, but the forwards are going to have to plug the gaps.

Matthews is still day-to-day. Bozak is going to have pick up the pace to fill in the offence. Kadri has to continue his play and JVR has to keep up his numbers. Everyone has to pitch in; offence by committee.

The last two games, Andersen has bailed out this team. He plainly stole the game against the Wild. He continued in his play against the Bruins. With Matthews out, the offence might be harder to come by.  The odd time 3-2  instead of 6-5 would be what the doctor ordered. If the Leafs are going to successful, it all begins in their own zone. Forwards and defence have to know their coverage.

Maple Leafs update

There is like the lot to be happy about with the State of the Leafs.  Matthews, JVR, and Kadri are running havoc with the team's roster. The forwards are flying; there is no doubt about that. The offence is not a problem; it's the other part of the game which seems to be a problem,

Mathews leads the team in goals and points — eight goals and six assists. He is playing like a leader; when the teams need a push, they lean on Matthews to get the big goal.

JVR is almost on a point streak with five goals and four assists for nine points. JVR is using his strength to his advantage, making it hard on opposing defences. What I like most about his game right now is he is a pain to get off the puck. JVR is running on all cylinders, giving a major support on the offensive game.

Kadri is off to another good start. He loves getting into his opponents' heads. His best talent is getting the good players off their games. He loves messing with people. Although, he has to watch the stupid stuff keeping shenanigans to a minimum.  He is too good of a player to be sitting in the box.

Mr. Reilly is improving every season, playing well offensively. He leads the team with eight assists. Reilly has a lot on his shoulders, being the leader on this weak young defence. Reilly still needs to improve his defensive zone coverage, but he is not alone in that area. I worry about putting so much responsibility on a defencemen as young as Reilly. There is a concern he will burn out too early.

The main problem and the only problem is the team's defensive zone. If the team could learn to play more defensively, the leads would not be as scary. The perfect example was the Rangers' game jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first period, then proceeding to blow the lead in the second. Fortunately, the team came up three in the third to win it.

The Leafs' win in AH was a reason to smile. Andersen rebounded after the last two losses. Andersen made several key saves to hold the Ducks at bay. Still a concern with too many blown coverages in the defensive zone.

Whether Mr. Babcock can work out the kinks in the defensive game or Mr. Lamoriello can work out a deal, the defensive issue has to be worked out. The other solution is going to the farm, but I am not sure that is the answer.