Playing the Western Conference’s top team without your top centre and best shutdown defenceman is a grueling challenge. The Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t up to it in a 5-2 matinee loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.
John Tavares scored two goals — one on the power play and one at five-on-five — including his 200th as a Maple Leaf, but no one else could solve Connor Hellebuyck.
The Maple Leafs applied offensive pressure and fired pucks at Hellebuyck, out-attempting Winnipeg 57-32 at five-on-five, but just over a third (35 percent) of those pucks reached the net, making the afternoon too easy for Winnipeg’s elite goaltender.
Meanwhile, the Jets did a fine job of turning their opportunities into results, staying ahead of Toronto all game long. The effort wasn’t disastrous for the Maple Leafs, but it was far from impressive. We’ll call that a C-.
Unit grades
L1 (Matthew Knies — John Tavares — Mitch Marner): C
Toronto’s first line did a solid job of tilting the ice in its favour, but it didn’t translate its 15 shot attempts into many top-notch chances.
Marner attempted an uncharacteristic number of long-range shots. That didn’t result in useful offence, and it was the catalyst for a counterattack goal from the Jets.
Make that two for Kyle Connor! pic.twitter.com/ITQbitnkt4
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 23, 2024
The only goal the top line produced came in the third when Craig Berube loaded it up with William Nylander, and Tavares delivered an impressive wrister from the slot.
John Tavares gets his second of the game 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/aWYkHyYPWb
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 23, 2024
L2 (Nick Robertson — Max Domi — William Nylander): C
This line was thrown together for the sole purpose of creating offence, and it was a mixed bag. The trio got more chances than any other group in the early going but ultimately didn’t make Hellebuyck’s day too hard with three shots in 6:49.
Domi’s decision to fight Alex Iafallo in the second period was justified on the basis that Toronto needed a boost, but it gave the Jets a power play that might’ve proved costly. The absence of Matthews also made him a player the Maple Leafs could ill afford to lose.
L3 (Bobby McMann — David Kämpf — Max Pacioretty): D
This looked like an odd-duck unit entering the game, with two burly wingers flanking the defensively-oriented Kämpf, and it did nothing to exceed expectations.
The third line couldn’t generate any offence (0.05 expected goals) and dug a puck out of its net in the third, allowing the Jets to take control of the game.
Before this game, these three had played just 22 seconds together, and Berube wasn’t given any incentive to use this combo again.
L4 (Connor Dewar — Pontus Holmberg — Steven Lorentz): B
The fourth line didn’t show up on the box score, but it had a fine outing, keeping its minutes relatively uneventful.
Winnipeg managed just three single-shot attempts in its 7:06, with Toronto managing 12, five of which reached the net. The Jets’ fourth goal came with this line on the ice, but it wasn’t particularly culpable in the mad scramble by Joseph Woll’s right pad.
D1 (Jake McCabe — Oliver Ekman-Larsson): C
The absence of Chris Tanev reunited this pair, who were used together extensively and were on the ice for two of Winnpeg’s five-on-five goals.
The first came about primarily due to Marner failing to get a puck through high in the zone, and it’s tough to penalize Ekman-Larsson too much for losing a footrace to Kyle Connor, who simply has a gear he doesn’t. The second was more damning as Gabe Vilardi beat McCabe with ease before finding Mark Scheifele in front.
What a feed!
Mark Scheifele makes it 3-1 for the Jets. pic.twitter.com/vcOxTiRwyC
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 23, 2024
On the plus side, Toronto thrived territorially when these two were on the ice. In Ekman-Larsson’s minutes, Toronto out-attempted Winnipeg 30-8, and McCabe earned an assist on the Maple Leafs’ second goal.
D2 (Morgan Rielly — Philippe Myers): B-
After not suiting up for the Maple Leafs since December 15, Myers made his presence known Monday. Not only did he lay a bone-crunching hit on Scheifele midway through the first period, he also fired away with abandon in the offensive zone.
Just one of his seven attempts was ultimately on target, but he showed ambition and had a couple of interesting looks.
Rielly was about as quiet as he gets. He didn’t have a single shot, hit, block, takeaway or giveaway in over 22 minutes of action.
D3 (Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins): B
Although Benoit’s effort to play goaltender along the line wasn’t successful on Winnipeg’s fourth goal, this duo was generally fine. Benoit did his thing physically and Timmins got a couple of pucks on the net while getting elevated to PK1, thanks to Tanev’s absence.
Neither players were difference-makers, but in a game the Maple Leafs lost due to individual lapses rather than a failure to carry the play, these guys weren’t the ones making costly mistakes.
Power play: A-
When a high stick to Rielly gave the Maple Leafs a four-minute opportunity in the second, it was too early to feel like a “must-score” chance, but considering how scarce goals against Hellebuyck can be, it was an important moment.
PP1 delivered with a crisp passing play that resulted in Tavares’ milestone goal.
JOHN TAVARES 🚨
200th as a Leaf on the power play pic.twitter.com/z1EtBQedIj
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 23, 2024
Toronto’s second time with the man advantage included a couple of solid chances. It also called on Woll to make a big save to avoid disaster.
Penalty kill: D
Going up against the NHL’s best power play is no easy assignment, but the Maple Leafs failed their first attempt, allowing a Connor goal in just 54 seconds.
Kyle Connor scores on the power play pic.twitter.com/l0p1c89Fkx
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 23, 2024
Toronto’s second try was significantly better as the Jets couldn’t get anything going, and Marner was even sprung on a break thanks to a Kämpf shot block.
Marner almost gets a shorthanded look pic.twitter.com/wYUmhwykTB
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 23, 2024
Goaltender (Woll): C-
Woll’s numbers (22 saves on 26 shots) weren’t impressive, but his worst sin was tracking the puck slowly on Winnipeg’s first goal.
The other pucks that got behind him were hard to fault him for. The Jets had men alone in front for two, and the other came at the end of a wild scramble.
Woll made a couple of fine saves, but it wasn’t his day.
Game Score
What’s next?
The Maple Leafs head to Detroit to face the Red Wings at 7 p.m. Friday on Sportsnet.
