It is the question all Toronto Maple Leafs fans are asking themselves: What the heck is going on with this team?
As a fan of the team, I’m at my wits’ end. How can Toronto play its best game of the season last Thursday night against the league-leading Lightning in Tampa Bay and then lose to the lowly Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes in the next two games?
The Leafs (29-17-2) have lost seven of their last 10 games, dropped four straight contests at Scotiabank Arena and are a pedestrian 13-11-1 at home this season.
Star forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander — who was relegated to fourth-line duty Sunday night versus the Coyotes — have combined to score just two goals since the Christmas break. Following Nylander’s return from his overly hyped contract holdout on Dec. 6, the Leafs are 9-9-2.
Perhaps it is time for head coach Mike Babcock to overhaul the forward lines in an effort to wake up his charges. Why not pair Matthews with leading point producer Mitch Marner and put Nylander on a line with John Tavares? Now is the time to tinker with the lines before Toronto starts to tumble down the Atlantic Division standings.
Babcock does have another card or two he can play: bench one of his struggling stars for a period or have them watch the game from the press box. Some of you might be thinking, “You want the Leafs to bench Matthews, especially after his tizzy over ice time last year?”
Yes! What better message can a coach send to his troops? It’s time to wake this team up and whether it’s a benching or eating popcorn in the press box, the Leafs need a fire to be lit under them.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals pay a visit to Toronto on Wednesday night, giving the Maple Leafs another chance to find their game.
I don’t want to jump the gun, but a loss against the Caps could be crippling. Toronto would not only enter the all-star break on a three-game slide, but the players, coaches and front office will be left thinking about the state of affairs over an extended break that stretches until the Leafs return to the ice on Feb. 2.
Now, you can look at that two ways. The Leafs can use a break from the intense pressure they are facing on and off the ice, but that is also eight straight days of thinking about all the things that have gone wrong over the last few weeks.
That’s not a position the Leafs will want to be in.
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