So this is what rock bottom looks like.
Two weeks ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs had the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and were nine points ahead of the ninth-place Detroit Red Wings. But after losing six straight games in regulation, they are in a four-way tie for the final two playoff spots but technically in 10th place.
How did they get here? Was it goaltending? A lack of confidence? Or did their luck finally catch up to them?
With hope of finding an answer, here is a look back at the six losses:
March 16: 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals Three days after defeating the Los Angeles Kings, in a game where James Reimer stopped all 31 shots he faced after replacing an injured Jonathan Bernier in the second period, Toronto played a rare 3 p.m. game against Washington. The time change seemed to be the difference early on. Playing at a time when players are usually taking their afternoon naps, the Leafs sleepwalked through the first period and spotted the Capitals a 3-0 lead less than nine minutes in the game.
Turning point: The Leafs' penalty kill went 2-for-4, allowing two power play goals in the first period.
Quote of the game: 'Obviously we were pretty flat the first period,' said head coach Randy Carlyle. 'It looked like we were still in our afternoon nap. Playing an afternoon game just took us a good part of the game to get warmed up and get awake.'
As is customary in Toronto, when your team plays poor defensively game after game you blame your goalie.- Ray Petkau (@RayPetkau) March 19, 2014
March 17: 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings The Leafs finished a five-game, 10-day road trip in Detroit against an injury-ravaged team that was mostly made of AHLers. Despite missing Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, the Red Wings proved too much for a seemingly exhausted Leafs team, with Gustav Nyquist scoring twice. Afterwards, Carlyle suggested that Reimer had not played well enough to win, causing Reimer's agent, Ray Petkau to tweet: 'As is customary in Toronto, when your team plays poor defensively game after game you blame your goalie.'
Turning point: With the score tied in the first period, Tim Gleason got caught pinching in the offensive and Nyquist skates the length of the ice for a breakaway. Reimer initially makes the save, but accidentally sweeps the puck into his own net.
Quote of the game: 'I thought James was ok,' Carlyle said when asked to assess Reimer's performance. 'Just Ok.'
March 19: 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning With all the attention turned towards the goaltending, a weak wrist shot 59 seconds into the game beat Reimer. Toronto would rebound, with Phil Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin giving the Leafs a 2-1 lead. But it was short-lived. Steven Stamkos scored twice in the first period and completed a natural hat-trick early in the second period. Aside from the loss, the Leafs also lost the services of Paul Ranger, who injured his neck and had to be carted off the ice on a stretcher after he was driven headfirst into the end boards.
Turning point: Two minutes after Stamkos tied the game on the power play, the NHL's best sniper somehow went unnoticed again in front of the net and scored his second of the game.
Quote of the game: 'I just want to come out and play well and kind of be a difference-maker, and unfortunately it wasn't the case,' said Reimer. 'I thought I made some good saves, but it definitely wasn't the performance I was looking for.'
March 22: 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens A week earlier, Toronto and Montreal had been battling for home-ice advantage in the standings. But on this night, the Leafs were simply trying to stop the bleeding and keep themselves in a playoff position. David Bolland returned to the lineup after missing more than four months with a severed ankle tendon, but it was the same old story once again. The Leafs gave up an early 2-0 lead. And though they managed to tie the game, a goal by Brian Gionta with 53 seconds remaining in the first period put Toronto behind again.
Turning point: Midway through the third period, James van Riemsdyk was called for goalie interference. The Candiens scored just as he was released from the penalty box.
Quote of the game: 'You have to turn the page,' Phaneuf said. 'There's no looking back on today tomorrow. Tomorrow's a new day, we've got to pull ourselves out of it. It's this group that's going to get us out of this bind. We've been close, but close isn't good enough right now. We know that we're going to get out of it, we've just got to find a way.'
March 23: 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils For the seventh straight time, the Leafs gave up the first goal as the Devils took a 3-0 lead 22 minutes into the game. By then, Reimer had been pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots. With third-string goalie Drew MacIntyre in net, the Leafs tried to mount a comeback on goals from Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel. But the three-goal margin was too much on yet another night when the Leafs defence hung Reimer out to dry.
Turning point: Thirty-two seconds after getting beat on a gorgeous move from Patrik Elias, Reimer is pulled after a rolling shot
Quote of the game: 'We have to find a way to stop the bleeding here and do everything in our power to regroup with this hockey club and get them playing to a higher level,' said Carlyle. 'All the good fortune we had earlier seems piled against us.'
March 25: 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues Bernier finally returned, but the same bad habits that plagued the Leafs during his absence did not go away. Toronto allowed a season-worst 23 shots in the first period and, thanks to some awful play from Dion Phaneuf, spotted St. Louis a 4-1 lead in the second period. Once again, goals from Carl Gunnarsson and van Riemsdyk gave the illusion of a late-game comeback. But this one was over by the end of the first period.
Turning point: With the game tied 1-1 and the Leafs on the penalty kill, Phaneuf had a chance to ice the puck. Instead, he got greedy and tried to kill more time off the clock, and as a result turned it over for a goal.
Quote of the game: 'Certainly, we're afraid of letting it slip away,' Lupul said. 'The whole year we've thought we were a playoff team, and we still believe that now. ... There's reason for concern, but it's not completely time to panic. We're still right there.'
Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/03/26/how-the-toronto-maple-leafs-fell-from-third-place-to-10th-in-just-two-weeks/
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