Yahoo Sports Maple Leafs Need To Quickly Improve Power-Play Following Flat Performance Against Rangers
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
It took them five games, but the Toronto Maple Leafs posted their first flat performance of the 2024-25 regular season, losing to the New York Rangers by a 4-1 margin Saturday. The Leafs did run into the (Igor) Shesterkin Effect, as they peppered the Blueshirts goalie with 35 shots, and only star center Auston Matthews found the scoresheet for Toronto.
Once again, the Leafs’ power play was an area of concern, as the Buds were unable to convert any of the three man-advantages into a goal. Toronto’s season totals for their power play are now tied with the Lightning for fourth-worst in the league at a 12.5-percent efficiency rate. And when you consider the Leafs’ power play struggles – which date back to last year’s regular season and post-season – there’s really no excuse for them continuing to fail in this particular special-teams area.
The Leafs brought in assistant coach Marc Savard to fix the man-advantage issue that former assistant Guy Boucher could not fix last season. But thus far, it’s been more of the same – and now first-year Leafs coach Craig Berube has to figure out how to fix it.
The key changes could be Toronto’s personnel on the first and second power-play units. Maybe it’s time that center John Tavares was moved from the first power-play group to the second, and maybe it's time to promote Max Domi from the second power-play unit to the first. Or perhaps it’s time that recent healthy scratch Max Pacioretty gets inserted into the second power-play unit and right winger Nick Robertson or left winger Matthew Knies gets moved out of the power-play picture altogether. Pacioretty also could step in for forward Pontus Holmberg, who may not do a lot of things wrong, but who doesn't seem to do much in an above-average way.
In any case, the status quo isn’t a solution for this Leafs' power-play. For too long now, Toronto has shrugged its shoulders as the power-play stumbled again and again. It’s still early, of course, but it’s time for significant change with the Leafs’ power play.
You’re always going to have stars including Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on the PP, but after that, the team should be open to experimenting to pull the Buds out of their doldrums with the extra man. They need an all-around better effort than they got against the Rangers, but they need to address the power play in particular, and the sooner they improve the power play, the higher they’ll rise in the Atlantic Division standings.
Is some of the loss to do with the Leafs having their first flat performance of the season? Yes, they did run into the Shesterkin Effect, but their power play once again struggled, and they need to switch things up with the extra man and possibly change the makeup of the first and second power-play units.
Related: Pay The D-Man: Toronto Maple Leafs Must Prioritize Re-Signing Jake McCabe
Related: Toronto Maple Leafs' Nylander, Domi And McMann Line Thrived – What Line Needs Fixed?
