Opinion: The Leafs ultimately lost to the underdog Canadiens — as their coach had warned they might — because they gave away the puck in the dying moments in a turnover that allowed Canadiens one last rush, dfeschuk writes.
MONTREAL—Amid the pomp and excitement of a season opener in one of hockey’s heritage hotbeds, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe issued a warning to his players before Wednesday’s game against the Canadiens.
“They’ve established themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in the NHL on the rush,” Keefe was saying Wednesday night. “ Caulfield, Anderson, these guys are some of the dangerous shooters there are off of transition.” “There’s no doubt it takes everyone a little bit of time to get in a groove and get a feel,” Tavares said. “I don’t think the game overall, on both sides, was the cleanest game. We just have to be a little better. Sometimes these games come down to one or two plays.”“I think our group’s ready. There’s no excuse that we’re going to accept. Yes, it’s our first game. But we’re ready,” Rielly said. “You train all summer, have a good, hard camp, you come in ready.
As it was, the Leafs picked up a new season where they left off in last year’s regular season — failing to avoid complacency against a team that’s expected to be an NHL bottom feeder. Last season, remember, there were only five teams that beat Toronto in regulation time more than once. Three of those teams didn’t make the playoffs. And one of them was the Canadiens, who split the four-game season series with the Leafs.
Montreal came into the opener with a lineup that included three rookies and minimal expectations given last season’s results. But the Canadiens, if their defensive corps is no murderer’s row, has an obvious strength: With the slick-shooting likes of Anderson and Cole Caulfield in their midst, they have weapons. So it had to irk Keefe that the Leafs chose to partake in a chance-trading track meet down the stretch. Never mind dominating a team you ought to dominate.
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