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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – The Maple Leafs failed to start on time Thursday, and that bad habit has been proving to be costly.

Facing the St. Louis Blues for the second time in a week, Toronto was flat out of the gate and let the Blues get rolling to the tune of a 1-0 first period deficit. The team ultimately rallied in the game’s second half to force overtime, where Vladimir Tarasenko scored 20 seconds in to down Toronto 2-1.

Falling behind early has rarely ended well for the Maple Leafs this season – they have a .067 win percentage when trailing after the first period, worst in the NHL, and are 5-14-4 when allowing the first goal. It’s a phenomenon Toronto is eager to address as they duke it out in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

“There’s really no excuses for it, so we’re not really pleased with how we came out,” said Morgan Rielly of the game’s first period. “You never want to give up the first one. You put yourself behind the eight ball when you let them get momentum. We want to address that and moving forward, we want to fix it.”

Therein has been the challenge for Toronto. With open ice at a premium to start, the Maple Leafs couldn’t exploit the Blues with their speed, and relied on goaltender Frederik Andersen to keep them within striking distance over the opening 20 minutes. It was the fifth time in seven games Toronto has ceded that first goal; they have a 2-3-2 record in that span.

“I think everyone wants to come out there and do their best. Sometimes the bounces don’t go your way, things happen,” said Mitch Marner. “I think it’s just [about] staying focused and not getting frustrated with each other on the ice. I think when we do that we play our best.”

As the Maple Leafs began to find their footing in the second period, Rielly put the momentum firmly back in their corner with a late second period goal. Nazem Kadri played set-up man, putting a hard shot on net that Jake Allen couldn’t corral, leaving loose change for Rielly to pocket. It was the blueliner's second goal of the season – his first in 32 games - and the culmination of the best 10 minutes of hockey Toronto had played all game.

After dominating the third period, the Maple Leafs never even touched the puck in overtime. They lost the faceoff, gave the Blues plenty of space, and watched Tarasenko show off his incredible release on the game-winning goal.

“You definitely want to know where he is, you want to be a little closer to him than we were,” admitted Rielly, who was on the ice for the goal. “He doesn’t need much space to get a shot off and he showed that here tonight.”

Toronto may have gotten better as the game wore on, but the point they failed to grasp left a bad taste for everyone. The Ottawa Senators moved one point ahead of them in the Atlantic Division, with the ticking clock towards the postseason continuing to wind.

“There’s a lot less time now, we’re getting closer and closer to playoffs,” Marner said. “Everyone is really bearing down on defence and as a team we have to get heavier down low and play harder.”


Takeaways

Fantastic Freddie: He’s been a hot topic of conversation since the all-star break, but Andersen silenced his critics again with a strong showing on Thursday. The netminder had been mired in a slump, allowing 19 goals in his previous four games and looking skittish in the crease. That changed against St. Louis, the same team that shellacked him for five goals last week. Andersen stopped 37 of 40 shots for the Maple Leafs and kept their bad start from turning into a bad game – he faced 17 shots in the first period alone. Early in the second, Andersen’s terrific save on Jori Lehtera, who got the inside edge on Auston Matthews but couldn’t fool Andersen on the shot, was a game-changer for Toronto. Babcock had pointed to the superb performance by backup Curtis McElhinney on Tuesday as a call to action for Andersen, and the Dane answered the bell.

No shot: Toronto entered Thursday’s game sitting fourth in the league in shots on goal per game (32.4) but they struggled to find any open shooting lanes against St. Louis. The Maple Leafs managed only four shots on goal in the first period and only seven through the first 16 minutes of the second, while giving up 29 to St. Louis in the same stretch. The Blues played suffocating defence and did a good job clogging up the neutral zone, ceding little opportunity for Toronto to set up in the offensive zone. The Maple Leafs' history this season suggested the end result could still be positive despite the disparity in shots – they were 16-7-4 entering the game when getting outshot. Toronto ended up with 32 shots to St. Louis’ 40, the second game in a row their opponent has generated that total.

You’re up, kid: In an unexpected lineup change, Josh Leivo replaced Nikita Soshnikov on Toronto’s fourth line in his third NHL game this season. Soshnikov was seen wincing in pain at the team’s morning skate, and was deemed unable to play with an upper-body injury. In his place, Leivo did a fine job. His line with Ben Smith and Matt Martin had the best possession numbers among forwards (all above 60 per cent Corsi-for) and while he didn’t generate any shots, Leivo was noticeable almost every shift. He plays a heavy game, and on a night when Toronto lost a lot of battles, he gave them some fight. Babcock didn’t have an update on Soshnikov after the game, but Leivo looks ready to step into action full-time if needed.

Two-half tale: While St. Louis dominated much of the play for the first half of the game, the Maple Leafs had an extremely successful night in the faceoff dot. They won 62 per cent of their draws over 40 minutes, with Matthews leading the way (71) – but their overall possession numbers were below 40 per cent. In the third period, Toronto was the more aggressive team, holding St. Louis to eight shots on goal and finally creating space through the neutral zone. Their possession totals surged to 48.76 per cent Corsi-for on the night, while their faceoff numbers took a hit, sliding to 58 per cent.

Next game: Toronto continues its four-game homestand on Saturday, when they welcome in the Buffalo Sabres.