The Leafs came out like a team looking for redemption in their rematch against a Blues squad that took them to task a week ago, playing about as perfect of a road period as head coach Craig Berube could have asked for in his return to St Louis. Berube won’t be nearly as pleased with their effort in the middle frame, which ultimately led to the 4-2 loss at the hands of his former team.
Toronto’s big guns started the game strong, leading the way as the Leafs had the ice tilted toward the Blues’ end for most of the period. Mitch Marner opened the scoring after getting a stick on Conor Timmins’ point shot and depositing the rebound into a gaping net, but Jordan Binnington held it down in the Blues’ crease from there, helping the Blues escape the first period down by just one despite being outshot 12-4.
The Leafs were able to carry that momentum into the second period, with the top two lines both generating opportunities to extend the lead in the opening minutes, but Binnington kept the door shut to give his team a chance to get back into the game. They rewarded him in short order as Colton Paryako blasted a point shot through a screen to tie the game at one apiece, and the Blues took the lead before the midway mark as a Jordan Kyrou shot found its way past Joseph Woll after a couple of unfortunate bounces off Leafs defenders.
Kyrou’s go-ahead goal seemed to both energize the Blues and deflate the Leafs, and Toronto got into a bit of penalty trouble as St. Louis found their legs. The Leafs were able to kill off a Marner hooking penalty, but Parayko hammered home another one-timer as the Leafs winger stepped out of the box, extending the Blues’ lead to 3-1.
While Toronto’s penalty kill has been markedly improved this season, the power play has continued to struggle to the point where they find themselves as the 32nd-ranked unit in the league in the early going this season. They had a golden opportunity to break through and regain some momentum with a late power play in the second period, but it was another chance marred by poor entries and predictable puck movement, leaving the Leafs to overcome a two-goal deficit heading into the third period.
Woll was forced to make a couple of stops early in the third period, but the Leafs found the gas pedal again after the game got chippy in the final frame. Matthews was inexplicably the only player penalized after he came to the defence of Marner, who had just been cross-checked off his feet by Ryan Suter, but Jake McCabe got running around with a couple of big hits on the ensuing kill that led Jake Neighbours to take a retaliation penalty of his own. Pontus Holmberg also got into a dust-up with Pavel Buchnevich as the temperature on the ice continued to rise.
With momentum seemingly back in hand, William Nylander cut through the Blues’ defence to draw another opportunity for the Leafs’ power play. Berube reunited his top unit in what was a key spot, and they once again struggled to control the puck and generate much in the way of dangerous chances, but the Leafs’ fourth line picked them up as Steven Lorentz crashed the net to bury his second of the season on the heels of another frustrating power play opportunity.
That was as close as the Leafs would get as the Blues would pot an empty-netter to seal the deal. With the way they started the game and the chances they had with the man advantage in key spots, this will be a frustrating loss for the Leafs, but it was encouraging to see them generate some energy and momentum through physical pushback late in the game.
For the most part, the Leafs have been successful in adapting to Berube’s hard-driving, north-south style of play, but their lacklustre second period resembled their poor stretch of play during last week’s three-game skid, and that was enough to cost them two points in St. Louis on Saturday night. The Leafs will have a chance to get back on track and show they can consistently bring the relentless style of play they showed early on against the Blues when they take on the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
