‘A Lot Of Nothing Going On’: Maple Leafs Continue To Be Disconnected On The Power Play In Loss Against Canucks

The Toronto Maple Leafs' struggles on the power play continued to weigh heavily as they dropped a 3-0 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. After a five-game winning streak, this was their second consecutive loss, and the team's inability to generate offense on the man advantage continues to be a concern.

Toronto’s three power-play opportunities against Vancouver produced just two shots on goal, with two of those chances failing to register any shots at all.

Despite a lineup packed with offensive firepower, the top unit seemed out of sync. Following the game, head coach Craig Berube reflected on the team’s ongoing issues.

“I felt like, you know, we weren't very connected,” said Berube post-game. “And at times, things were, you know, we moved it around well or maybe got a load of high. I didn't think we had enough traffic at the net either on these plays. So, you know, we're a little disconnected that way.”

“I think shooting the puck, moving it quick, like crisp pace, attacking, shooting at the net,” Berube explained when asked what a productive power play should look like, even without scoring. “That gives you momentum, for sure.”

But that momentum was nowhere to be found on Saturday.

Toronto reverted to a more traditional setup after their brief experiment with five forwards, reinstating defenseman Morgan Rielly to the top unit while bumping Matthew Knies to the second group. As mentioned, the adjustment failed to spark any meaningful chemistry, with the team’s overall power-play percentage now sitting at 20.6% through 40 games – good for just 18th in the NHL.

Related: ‘Five Forwards Is Tricky’: Why The Maple Leafs Are Veering Away From The All-Forward Power Play Experiment

Captain Auston Matthews emphasized the need for simplicity and urgency post-game.

“Just simplifying it. We just gotta get more pucks to the net. There’s a lot of movement, a lot of, kind of a lot of nothing going on, I guess,” Matthews admitted. “I think we can do a better job of simplifying it and getting shots, more shots to the net and then letting things open up from there.”

The lack of traffic in front of the net was another focal point of criticism. Despite having players capable of creating screens and capitalizing on rebounds, the Leafs consistenly settled for perimeter play.

Matthews called for more bodies in front, noting, “We got big bodies in front. We got guys who can shoot it so it’s just a matter of getting pucks through, getting guys there and, as I said, it wasn’t just on our 5-on-5, it was everything and just being more connected throughout the rink, supporting each other with supporting the puck all over the ice. I just don’t think we were very connected tonight.”

The consensus of the lack of production was a sentiment felt by most players after the loss, describing the power play as “disconnected.”

“I just thought we couldn’t really get momentum on our side. A lot of one-and-done. Just felt like a little bit disconnected for most part of the game, I would say,” said Matthews.

“Just execution. I mean, we have things drawn up that we'd like to execute. And it just feels like we're not able to. It feels like we're just a bit disconnected,” added Rielly.

For all their star power, the Leafs’ power play lacked urgency, creativity, and chemistry again. Puck battles were rarely won, movement was stagnant, and opportunities to generate momentum were squandered.

Not only are the Leafs struggling to score on the power play, but they are also allowing far too many counterattacks and scoring opportunities going the other way.

The play with the man advantage has become stagnant and uninspired – far below the standard expected of such a skilled group that is offense reliant.

So where does the power play go from here?

Well, Rielly, for one, wants the Leafs to take a more aggressive approach with their power play moving forward.

“As a group, we've been talking about trying to shoot more. I think our attempts earlier in the year were higher than they are right now. So we want to get back to having a shooting mentality.”

As the season wears on, this dysfunction remains an issue, with the same problems continuing to hinder the power play's effectiveness.

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