Maple Leafs waste strong road effort in late letdown loss to Hawks

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The Maple Leafs welcomed back Joseph Wall, but their losing streak remains a concern.

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They were unable to defend a one-goal lead – or capitalize on great chances to extend it – losing 3-2 at the United Center, their fifth straight loss, dropping them to 8-9-2.

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Wall, back in net for the first time since April 17 after leaving training camp for personal reasons, hit 32 shots and was sharp until some late-game defensive issues haunted him and his teammates again. The Leafs beat the Blackhawks 33-32.

Chicago, which had won five straight, tied the game 2-2 early in the third period when defenseman Phillip Myers, replacing the injured Brandon Carlo, scored his second goal of the night. Frank Nazar made a nifty pass around Myers to Teuvo Teravainen, who beat Wall up top after moving the puck close to Morgan Rielly.

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Colton Dach then fired a shot past Wall with 4:25 left after the Leafs collectively failed to clear the goal.

Toronto took the lead into third for just the fifth time in 19 games as it had to survive a coach's challenge to score on Rielly's goal. Chicago took notice of William Nylander's earlier puck, but it couldn't be fully identified on video review.

Rielly's third of the season came after a nearly 80-second burst in Chicago's zone, a turning point in the Leafs' recent struggles. But the visitors were unable to follow up on the ensuing power play and made several posts towards Spencer Knight throughout the evening.

Toronto entered the game with four key players missing due to injury, a captain and a 410-goal scorer. Auston Matthewsshutting down defensemen Chris Tanev, Carlo and No. 1 goaltender Anthony Stolarz.

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That, coupled with head coach Craig Berube's insistence on the team blocking growing public calls for change, put the Leafs under scrutiny after puck drop. But they made 14 of their 33 shots, their best in a first period this season and just one shy of Thursday's overtime loss to the Kings.

This allowed them to overcome Ryan Greene's low goal after Myers was too timid in coverage, resulting in a pass that was too easy.

After heavy pressure from the Leafs, John Tavares broke through and Nick Robertson came back with his fifth goal of the season.

The Leafs play two home games next week and then play six on the road.

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