Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were embarrassed by the Buffalo Sabres to the tune of a 9-3 defeat. The score looks more like a low-scoring NFL football game than an NHL hockey score. The long and the short of it is that the Maple Leafs goalies simply were not up to the task, and the team couldn’t score 10 goals on the evening to cover them and earn a win. In this edition of Maple Leafs takeaways, I’ll look at three takeaways from this disappointing game.
Fortunately for the team, the game was on the road. It’s tough to imagine what a home crowd might have reacted to the whole enterprise.
Takeaway One: Last Time Maple Leafs Gave Up Nine Goals Was 32 Years Ago
As disheartening as the Maple Leafs’ 9-3 loss to the Sabres was, it also has been a rare occasion for the Blue & White. The team has given up nine goals only once in the past 32 years. The last time was a 9-2 defeat against the Nashville Predators in 2014.
In that game, the Maple Leafs’ goalie Jonathan Bernier started but was pulled after allowing six goals in the first period. James Reimer took over and gave up three more goals during the game. The team’s core forwards in that game were Phil Kessel, Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak, and John Van Riemsdyk. The team’s two best defensemen were Dionne Phaneuf and Roman Polak.
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What’s even more interesting is that current Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok scored a goal and added an assist for Nashville in that game.
Takeaway Two: Timothy Liljegren Was a Bright Spot for the Maple Leafs
During the Maple Leafs’ disappointing loss, defenseman Timothy Liljegren emerged as a bright spot with a strong performance. Despite the team’s struggles, the 24-year-old blueliner recorded two assists and had a positive impact on both the power play and the penalty kill. Liljegren’s stat line included five blocked shots, three shots on goal, two hits, and a minus-1 rating.
Liljegren’s standout performance marked his first multiple-point game of the season. The game shows that the young Swedish defenseman can contribute offensively from the blue line. Liljegren, who recently returned from a six-week absence due to an ankle injury, looks as if he is fully recovered.
Takeaway Three: Just How Bad Were the Maple Leafs Goalie Numbers Against the Sabres?
The goaltending struggle was evident for both Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov. A look at their numbers shows just how challenging the game was for them against the Sabres. Jones faced 15 shots, allowing four goals with a save percentage (SV%) of 0.733. His partner Samsonov faced 19 shots and gave up five goals. Ironically, Samsonov ended with a slightly higher save percentage of 0.737. That said, both goalies posted save percentages below 0.750. That shows just how tough the situation was for them.
In total, Jones played for 31 minutes and 38 seconds, while Samsonov played for 28 minutes and 12 seconds. However, the post-game focus shifted entirely to Samsonov, with Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe emphasizing the need for the team to play better in front of him to help him regain his form.
Keefe succinctly stated, “We need to help them through this,” and when asked about reviewing the game film, he mentioned, “We won’t dissect it, but we won’t forget it.”
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