Leaf Takeaways: Joseph Woll stands tall, team confidence takes a hit

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You'll have to go back to the lockout-shortened 2020-21 season to find the last time the Maple Leafs lost five games in a row.

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However, it's not too hard to see why things turned against Toronto in this negative November. Lack of detail on defense is more often than not what ends up biting them in the ass. That, and trying to replace injured players with reliable, experienced help they'll have to figure out before a potentially season-killing six-game road trip begins in a week.

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Our takeaways from Saturday night's 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks, which dropped the Leafs' road record to 1-5.

WOOL STREET MAGAZINE

We'll start with the most encouraging development of the evening – the successful return of Joseph Wall.

Whatever has kept him home for a month doesn't amount to rust in his first start since April 17th. He looked busy making 29 saves, although he couldn't be protected from a couple of coverage errors that have plagued the three goalies who preceded him this season.

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The last thing Toronto needs is a complete meltdown in goal, but now he and Dennis Hildeby have put in an effort this week that would have been enough to beat last year's Leafs. They should hold down the fort until Anthony Stolarz returns to form, presumably late next week, from an upper-body injury that landed him on IR.

CONFIDENCE GAME

Some players hung their heads this week after losing by one goal after late mishaps cost points.

“I have to motivate them as best I can,” head coach Craig Berube told reporters in Chicago after the game. “Maybe it’s a kick in the butt, but maybe it’s positive reinforcement too.”

Saturday wasn't a disaster, but the plane ride home will be painful because it wasn't just a couple of misreads by defenseman Phillip Myers, who was playing for the injured Brandon Carlo. The quintet of veterans who had played well all night were on the ice when another fumbled goal ended up passing Wall for the winner with less than five minutes to play in the third period.

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The Leafs outplayed and nearly outplayed the Hawks and did a much better job of breaking through. They also kept the Blackhawks off the field in a string of terrible second periods this fall. There was disappointment at the other end too, missing the net 28 times, including several shots into the posts and crossbars, as well as a couple of missed breaks.

Overall, they seemed to have internalized Berube's adage about working harder to create chances to double their shots after Thursday's loss to the Kings. Goals from Nick Robertson and Morgan Rielly were the result of constant forechecking.

Robertson was asked how the bench reacted when Teuvo Teravainen's tying goal undid much of their good work at that stage early in the third period.

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“It's no secret we haven't won a game in a while,” he said. “So maybe (it was) a little stressful. You kind of have to regroup and get back into it.”

Toronto pressed relentlessly against an empty net, failing to score a single point and remains at the bottom of the conference standings.

COWBOY IS AT THE RANCH AGAIN

Easton Cowan, who Berube keeps pointing out was demoted to the Marlies not because of poor play but because of player limitations, returned to the field playing left field on a line with Nicholas Roy and Matthew Nice.

He had three shots and fired from inside the box after nearly beating Spencer Knight on a breakaway for the first time in the NHL as a minor. At just under 17 minutes, it was his second-most time on ice in 11 games.

Cowan was also seen arguing a couple of times with Connor Bedard, who initially had 28 more picks than himself in the 2023 draft. Neither forward had a point in the game, despite Bedard being on a tear this year, while the Leafs outlasted both of Cowan's minors.

If the Leafs don't have to continue sacrificing Cowan to the farm to accommodate a veteran (depending on who it is, of course), that should bolster the belief that he belongs in the NHL.

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