By Steve Jelliman
After a very good first quarter of the season which saw the team challenging for the conference lead, the wheels have come off during a 5 game losing streak that reached a low point during an 8-2 loss to the Bruins. Immediately following the game, the team has assigned goalie Ilya Samsonov to the Marlies as he desperately needs to find his game. Coming in for relief in the game against Boston, Samsonov allowed 4 goals on 5 shots and dropped his Save Pct for the season to a dismal .855. The team also sent down Corey Trivino and Alex Guptill. These moves allowed the team to recall Nick Robertson who scored a pair of goals on a previous call up and gives him a chance to see if we can claim a permeant spot on this roster.
Erik Johnson has been a -10 during this stretch and has been moved to the 3rd D pairing to play alongside Libor Hajek. Colby Robak moves up to play with Owen Power on the 2nd pair.
The Leafs currently have the worst defensive record in the league, something not expected after the teams improvement last season. Ironically, the big concern going into the year was to generate more offense, something they addressed with the addition of Patrick White and the team is currently 2nd in offensive rating in the league. In order to be a playoff team, the Leafs need to improve in their own end, while still keeping their offensive efficiency. With the team extremely tight against the cap, don't expect any trades to bail them out, they are going to have dig their own way out of their current troubles.
12/4/2022 - 285 words
