{"id":2641,"date":"2024-01-01T16:10:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T16:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldprof.nhltradetalk.com\/?p=2641"},"modified":"2024-01-01T16:10:26","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T16:10:26","slug":"good-bad-ugly-after-maple-leafs-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldprof.nhltradetalk.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/01\/good-bad-ugly-after-maple-leafs-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"The Good, Bad, & Ugly After the 3-2 Maple Leafs\u2019 Loss To Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Stan Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Toronto Maple Leafs Lost 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on the second night of back-to-back games for the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.\u00a0With me getting this out late, I will talk more about the aftermath of the Carolina game than the game itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Surprising Maple Leafs D-Men Depth Forces Tough Choices<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Maple Leafs are 1-4-1 in their last six games.\u00a0That translates to 3 out of a possible 12 points or a 0.250% Winning Percentage.\u00a0In those six games, they have averaged 3.00 Goals For and 4.67 Goals Against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of this stretch of games, the Maple Leafs were tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers.\u00a0Each team had 38 points and the Maple Leafs had two games in hand over Florida.\u00a0They were five points behind the Boston Bruins with one game in hand. Toronto was four points up on the fourth-place Detroit Red Wings with two games in hand over them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ilya Samsonov has been struggling as the Maple Leafs starting goalie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Maple Leafs are now nine points behind the Bruins with a game in hand, and five points behind the Panthers with two games in hand.\u00a0After winning four of their last six games the Tampa Bay Lightning have passed the Red Wings in the standings and are tied for third with the Maple Leafs. Toronto does hold four games in hand over Tampa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individually John Tavares is minus-8 in plus-minus over those six games. Tyler Bertuzzi is minus-6.\u00a0 Morgan Rielly is minus-5.\u00a0William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Bobby McMann and Simon Benoit are all minus -4.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Good<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At five-on-five, except for the 9-3 blowout by the Buffalo Sabres, the Maple Leafs have been playing well defensively.\u00a0In five of the six games, they have averaged just six High-Danger-Scoring-Chances Against while generating an average of just under eleven High-Danger-Scoring-Chances For themselves.\u00a0In those five games, they have averaged just 1.74 Expected Goals Against.\u00a0For a team that has been struggling defensively this season, there are signs they are tightening up defensively five-on-five.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthews has scored six goals and added three assists for a total of nine points in the last six games. Nylander has eight points and Rielly has six points.\u00a0Timothy Liljegren has a goal and four assists for five points while averaging over 21 minutes per game. He is beginning to look like a top-four defenseman.\u00a0While Matthews Knies has only one point in the six games, a goal, he is plus-4 in plus-minus.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite only winning one of his last four starts, Martin Jones has stopped 109 of the 119 shots he has faced giving him a 0.916 Save Percentage.\u00a0His Goals-Against-Average in those four starts is 2.56 GAA.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Three Reasons Maple Leafs Fans Should Watch for Kieffer Bellows<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ugly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the two starts that Ilya Samsonov had in the last six games he has given up 11 goals on 29 shots in just over 90 minutes of action.\u00a0In his last two appearances, Samsonov\u2019s Goals-Against-Average is higher than his Save Percentage.\u00a0His Save Percentage was 0.725 and his Goals-Against-Average was 7.27.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As most Maple Leafs fans have heard by now Samsonov\u2019s struggles have prompted the Maple Leafs to place Samsonov on waivers.\u00a0This comes just six months and fifteen games played after Samsonov inked an arbitrator awarded a one-year $3.55 million contract.\u00a0The move begs the question will this just be a conditioning stint and time to allow Samsonov to rediscover his game or is it the last time we will see Samsonov in a Maple Leafs uniform?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reciprocal move to Samsonov being placed on waivers was the call-up today of 6-foot-7, 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby.\u00a0Hildeby has a 7-5-3 record with a 0.919 Save Percentage and 2.20 Goals-Against-Average in 15 appearances with the Toronto Marlies this season.\u00a0Hildeby\u2019s so-so-won\/lost record is due more to a lack of scoring support in his starts. Hildeby has two shutouts and has allowed two or fewer goals in eight of his 15 starts.\u00a0He has allowed four goals in regulation in just one game this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Toronto Maple Leafs call up goaltender Dennis Hildeby from AHL https:\/\/t.co\/Nb42OuWhTw<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2h1MQXce6u<\/a><\/p>— leaftweets (@leaftweets1) January 1, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>