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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – Deep into some early-season growing pains, the Toronto Maple Leafs saw progress, if not actual results, in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. But progress alone isn’t enough to sustain the Leafs, not when they’ve just suffered their second straight loss at home, and fourth defeat in their last six games.

“I thought our team was engaged. We worked hard. I thought we started good. In the end, you’ve got to score,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “What I liked about us is we didn’t lose our focus, didn’t start running around the rink. We stuck with it. In the end, we have to find a way to win the game.”

Indeed where it mattered most – on the scoresheet – the Leafs didn’t deliver, and something must be done to remedy that sooner than later.

“We played better [than in Monday’s 3-1 loss to Calgary], but bottom line we didn’t get the win,” said Ron Hainsey, who skated in his 1,000th NHL game. “We didn’t get the job done. But it was a step in the right direction so we can get roll up our sleeves and get back to work tomorrow.”

As has been the case all season, Toronto has few answers for their struggles at home, which continued in a big way on Thursday.

For the fifth straight game at Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs entered the third period having scored zero goals through two periods. The last six goals Toronto has scored at home have all been tallied in the final frame, always in the midst of a last-ditch comeback effort.

That strategy hasn’t worked in Toronto’s favour, with Thursday’s loss dropping them to 3-5-0 at home this season, while their road record remains a pristine 5-0-0. ​

"It is what it is," Babcock said of not scoring early. "We had it on [Mitch Marner's] stick and [John] Tavares' stick a number of times with real good looks and it didn't go in the net. If I'm picking the guys, that's who I want [with the puck]. I'll take those guys all day long in those situations."

It’s true that chances weren't hard to come by for Toronto against Dallas. The Leafs had more than their fair share of opportunities, controlling possession through all three periods and putting 32 shots on Anton Khudobin. Toronto just couldn’t get anything to fall, and faced a 2-0 deficit early in the third period after goals from Jamie Benn and Devin Shore.

That’s not a problem the Leafs seemingly would have expected to run into when the season began, with players like Tavares, Marner and Auston Matthews rolling around. Now Matthews is out with a shoulder injury and despite Marner and Tavares putting a combined 10 shots on net on Thursday, the Leafs’ best weapons were stymied repeatedly, and not just by Khudobin’s 31-save performance.

All told, Toronto missed on a handful of open nets through three periods, including in the final 10 seconds of the game when Marner could have tied things up but sent his shot sailing wide of the mesh. The Leafs also failed to convert on any of their first four power play opportunities, which Marner chalked up to too much passing and not enough pucks on net.

Usually as even-keeled as they come, the 21-year-old couldn’t help becoming annoyed by the overall lack of execution.

“With how good our team is, we want to score a lot of goals every game, [then] pucks bounce over your stick or something like that,” he said. “You get a little frustrated. But our team in here is very solid. We keep each other up at all times. We know what we can do out there.”

At the point of Marner’s miss, the Leafs had just come within one goal of the Stars thanks to a power play goal from Patrick Marleau. He also put five shots on net Thursday, but drew his share of bad luck hitting multiple posts before finally coaxing a puck through.

It was only Marleau’s second goal of the season, both of which have come with the extra man. He’s spoken repeatedly about how the chances he’s generated have kept his spirits up during the drought, and felt similarly positive that the Leafs could take some valuable lessons in defeat on the importance of a strong work ethic.  

“We are talented, but we have to play the right way to get our chances,” said Marleau. “I think you saw that tonight for the most part. We played our good system game and we were rewarded with chances. So it’s a good way of learning what we have to do to be successful.”

Babcock had said all along the “fantasy tour” Toronto experienced early in the season, when they started 6-1-0 and outscored opponents 33-23, would evaporate quickly. And so it has. How they react to these newfound offensive hardships will help determine the next course of their season.

“Over a period of time, it’ll go in. This is a little adversity for our group, so dig in,” said Babcock. “You go through it at times during the year. Just dig in and find a way to win games. That’s it.”

TAKEAWAYS

Marner’s your man

With Matthews out until at least the end of November, Marner will be counted on as much as any player to right the ship for Toronto. On Thursday he showed just how he can do that – when the puck starts going in again. On a line with Tavares and Zach Hyman, Marner was the best player for Toronto from the get-go, backchecking hard, forcing turnovers, making plays to keep play onside; doing everything, really, but putting the puck in the net. He was especially tenacious on the penalty kill, hemming the Stars in their own end single handedly and eating time off the clock. Marner himself nearly scored shorthanded on Dallas’ second power play after forcing another turnover and battling his way into Khudobin, but the netminder made a highlight-reel save to smother Marner’s backhand shot and hold the Leafs off the board.

Marner battled on every shift he played through 23:12 ice time, which led all Toronto’s skaters. Like his linemate Tavares, it’s the finish right now that’s lacking for him, and that will be imperative that he find a solution to. Marner ended the night minus-1, with two takeaways.

Slow night for Andersen

Compared to Khudobin, Frederik Andersen was the far less busy goaltender in Thursday’s game, but ultimately lost the duel with his counterpart across the ice. Andersen faced only 19 shots from the Stars, and only four in the third period, but allowed one in that frame to Shore which was the game-winner for Dallas. Earlier in the game, Andersen did come up with a couple of big stops for the Leafs, including on Jason Dickinson to halt a two-on-one chance teed up by Brett Ritchie early in the second period. He had a piece of the Benn goal, but the centre re-directed it just enough to get the puck over top of Andersen, who was in good position. There have been a few times this season where Andersen kept the Leafs alive with his strong performances, most recently in Monday’s loss where he blanked the pressing Flames for two periods. Thursday’s .895 save percentage was Andersen’s worst since Toronto lost 4-1 to St. Louis two weeks ago, and only the second time in his last seven games he has posted a save percentage below .900.

Giving it his Holl

Having been a healthy scratch for the Leafs’ first 12 games of the regular season, Justin Holl had plenty of time to think about how he’d make an impact when Babcock finally put him in the lineup for Thursday’s contest opposite Travis Dermott. The defenceman got started early with solid defensive zone play that included rubbing Stars’ forward Tyler Pitlick out along the boards with a big first period hit, which drew some rousing applause from the crowd. The second period started fine for Holl, until he took an ill-timed holding penalty right after Par Lindholm was called for the same thing, facilitating the Stars’ first goal from Benn. Holl was then on the ice for Shore’s goal just before the five-minute mark of the third, and wouldn’t see the ice again after that until late in the third period, putting his third period shift count at three. Finishing at minus-1 with zero shots on goal in 12:53 of ice time, Babcock surmised it was good that Holl had a chance to play, without making mention of when such an opportunity would come again.

Blue and White Trending

Tracking Leafs’ trends all season long          

The Leafs are 2-for-17 now on the power play in their last six games, and have scored only one of those two goals on a regular 5-on-4 power play. The other came on a two-man advantage.

Next up

Toronto heads to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Saturday.  

Last word

“The kids didn’t cry, that was a success as far as I’m concerned.”

- Ron Hainsey, reflecting on the pre-game ceremony honouring his 1,000th NHL game on Thursday, attended by his wife and three children.