If you’ve been watching this team for any length of time, you know the Toronto Maple Leafs are passing through where it sounds like the entire program is held together with tape, hopefully, and loan players in the third row of the press box. Tuesday night as long as St. Louis Blues was one of those evenings. Seven refts were lost, the bench looked like a leather team, and somehow – somewhere else the maple leaves found a way to drag themselves with a game that may not have a business win.
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What drove me was not just who it was, but what the team looked like in general. They didn’t seem scared. No body language is dotted. Of course the combined line that understood the assignment: don’t sink.
And late in the game, with William Nylander’s winner Overner hanging in the air like relief, he realized the story of the night wasn’t the injury itself. It was the way the team continued to press.
However, the team is missing important players. Who left, and what is the prognosis for their return?
Single Player: Matthew Knies – Lower Body (Day by Day)
Matthew Onies was released just before the puck came down with a lower body tweak, the kind of thing the team released as “Nothing for a long time,” but it’s serious enough, “but enough that he wasn’t an option. Day by day, so-called leaves – talking that often says, “We’ll try again tomorrow and see if he can turn it off without woing.”
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His absence also meant that the Dominoes began to fall again. Suddenly, Sammy Blais, who had spent the afternoon thinking he had a quiet night, was thrown into the lineup. That’s the rhythm of these weeks of maple leaves With knees, the team is not worried, but you will never want to lose that mix of size and the direct power it brings. When he’s out of line, he hears it.
Second Player: Sammy Blais – Not Appearing (left game this morning)
Blais had one of those nights you wouldn’t wish on anyone. He took a hard knock, went to the bench, and suddenly cried blood and put it down in the tunnel. At that point, you think, “Yeah, that’s it, You’re out for a while.” As noted, he was only in the lock because the lights could not move. That’s the kind of luck the maple leaves are living in lately – one boy goes down, the next steps, and half an hour later.
But credit to Blais: The boy bounced back faster than anyone expected. On Wednesday, he was on the ice, telling reporters that the scan was clean and he was good to go. It looked even more nervous than before. He even broke a small spell in the form of a fight with his old team (the blues). As soon as the lineup starts to find life again, it’s likely to push back to more coverage. For now, he folds into that third-line role with Jacob Quillan, gets the job done and gives the team one less thing to worry about for almost a full week.
Third Player: Auston Matthews – Lower Body (Doubtful Thursday)
General manager (GM) Brad Compliance did not worry about any sugar to help the drug go down. Auston Matthews may not be on the ice Thursday. Good News? Both the GM and the medical staff hope he is close. If all goes well, Saturday in Montreal looks like a real milestone.
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It’s been a long week waiting for a player who can tie the game without breaking a sweat. His nine goals, five assists, and presence on the ice draw defenders to him; His kind of gravity makes the whole line feel safe. The moment we are upset, the maple leaves are not just a fisherman; They found a place to stay that everyone trusts in him. Until then, it’s like maple leaves sailing with a lost ship, hoping the rest of the crew can keep the ship afloat.
Player One: Nicolas Roy – Upper Body (Out for a few games)
Head Coach Craig Berube doesn’t expect Nicolas Roy to return every game this week. “A few games” was the phrase, which may have extended its return to November 26. When Roy in time, because Roy was starting to find his rhythm, he looked at a small corner of the line where he could make a play and feel confident.
You can see that Roy is finally getting comfortable with his reads, timing, and puck movement. It was the kind of groove every player hopes to hit with a new team. Now, he will have to stop that if he is stressed and take it again when he returns. It must please him, and with maple leaves. The team was starting to see glimpses of what they could add.
Player Five: Chris Tanev – Upper Body (at least one week)
Missing Chris Tanev is like missing the guy who keeps the entire blue line off the bullpen. He is returning to the work of light, but he is on a full-step path. The trend said they “know a lot in the week,” which puts any return early next week.
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With Brandon Carlo already out, that Taneving TOENEV came in when he played – poised, calm under pressure, the kind of calculation that allows other defenders to play with confidence – they are really missed. The Maple Leafs felt his absence every time the puck came through his grandmother.
Sixth Player: Anthony Storalarz – Lower Body (Unavailable)
Storalarz is still classified, and there is no clear time frame. The goalie has not been at his usual level this season; Ahead of last season, he was ranked among the Top in Saving Percentage in the NHL and was a real force to be reckoned with. Part of that was due to the tandem with Joseph Woll. The pair was a comfort outfit as the team’s last line of defense, the kind of combo that allowed the team to end the season with confidence.
If they don’t get back together and find that rhythm again, the maple leaves will ride. Pushing into the playoffs without a duo like that is almost impossible. Good News? Playing lights out for Woll – In his first two games back, and that’s a lot of weight on everyone’s shoulders. However, the team can only hope that Storalarz and WOLL pick up where they left off, because together they are the kind of netminding duo that can carry the season.
Seventh Player: Brandon Carlo – Outscased (Out)
Carlo is the kind of devidensiman who quietly makes life easy for everyone on the ice. Last season, he had a great tandem with Morgan Rielly, and together they shut down some of Laition’s Frastird forwards. He’s not flashy or flashy, but the kind of reliable, stay-at-home defense that keeps the team in games.
That kind of tough play will be needed if the Maple Leafs want to go far in the regular season. Currently, with Carlo is not available and joins the tanev on the shelf, the right side of the blue line is extended smaller than the rental stick. The team will have to rely on others to pick up that slack until he returns, and it won’t be easy.
Do maple leaves always survive this?
The honest answer is that the team can survive this injury for a while, but they need to continue to get the kind of team effort they showed on Tuesday night. You can’t lose your number-one center, two top-four centers, valuable forward depth, your 1A goalie, and a few bottom-six things without feeling it. Most teams will drift under that kind of weight.
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But the maple leaves didn’t look like a folded team against the blues. They looked like a team that understood their mistakes, their situation, and the urgency of the moment. Wall was strong, deep players stepped in, John Tavares pitched like a man with something to show for it, and Nylander stole the title with one great touch.
If they can hold on until Matthews and his teeth come back, and if Tanev is not too late, he can ride this difficult guide without letting the season slip aside. For now, at least, they are proving they can weather the storm.
