If ever there was a team desperate to win the 20th game of an 84-game season, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs.
asserted
it → be → season
They didn’t get it.
asserted
They → get → it
The injury-ravaged and struggling Maple Leafs put in a game effort, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
asserted
they → ravage → Arena
It leaves them at 8-10-2 after 20 games, a worse start than last year’s 9-9-2.
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It → leave → year
Last year — you should remember — didn’t go so well.
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you → remember → ?
Despite their woes, the team has been at least entertaining and engaged in most games.
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team → entertain → games
The game was there for the taking, and it’s not like the Avalanche were dominant.
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Avalanche → ’ → taking
They made just as many mistakes as Toronto.
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They → make → Toronto
But MacKenzie Blackwood was better than Sergei Bobrovsky when it mattered in net.
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it → matter → net
A rush by Jack Roslovic, back after missing Monday’s game, tied it 3-3 just 4:11 into the third period.
asserted
rush → miss → period
But within a minute, Gabriel Landeskog scored his second of the game for a 4-3 lead as the Leafs suffered an almost predictable, heartbreaking, post-goal letdown.
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Leafs → score → letdown
Artturi Lehkonen put a dagger in the game with 2:45 to go, catching the Leafs on a line change.
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Lehkonen → put → change
And 15 seconds later, Martin Necas scored into an empty net.
asserted
Necas → score → net
Darren Raddysh and Easton Cowan also scored for the Leafs.
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Raddysh → score → Leafs
The homestand doesn’t get any easier with Minnesota visiting Thursday and Edmonton on Saturday.
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Minnesota → get → Saturday
Thrust into the middle of the Leafs woes and mounting injuries was winger Ryan Tverberg.
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Tverberg → Thrust → woes
The 24-year-old from Richmond Hill, a 2020 draft pick, got into his first NHL games last season.
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old → get → games
With four goals, three assists with the Marlies in 14 AHL games, he got the call from GM John Chayka, and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw he’d be playing on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
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he → get → Tavares
“Two great players, just gotta keep up,” said Tverberg.
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Tverberg → got → ?
“He’s a worker, he’s an energy player,” said Hiller.
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Hiller → ’ → ?
“He’s got lots of speed.
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He → get → speed
You can see where we put him in the lineup.
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we → see → lineup
We’ll give him a good run.”
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We → give → run
The line had its chances.
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line → have → chances
The puck rolled just off Tverberg’s stick late in the second.
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puck → roll → second
Tavares missed from in close early in the third.
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Tavares → miss → third
Maple Leafs fans finally got a look at Raddysh’s one-time slapshot.
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fans → get → slapshot
He took a feed from Auston Matthews off a Roslovic face-off win and his shot from 51 feet beat Mackenzie Blackwood for an early 1-0 Leaf lead.
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shot → take → lead
Matthews was the first to greet him.
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Matthews → greet → him
He scored 22 last year in Tampa, earning his eight-year, $68-million (U.S.) free agent deal with the Leafs, including nine from long-range like this one.
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He → score → one
The shot clocked in at 92.89 miles an hour, according to the league, the fourth hardest shot to have resulted in a goal this season.
uncertain
shot → clock → goal
The Leafs haven’t been getting goals from defencemen.
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Leafs → get → defencemen
Troy Stecher leads the Leafs defencemen with two goals.
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Stecher → lead → goals
The injured Marshall Rifai and Nick Blankenburg have one each.
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Rifai → have → one
The rest remain without a goal.
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rest → remain → goal
The lead didn’t hold though.
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lead → hold → ?
It’s now 12 times in 13 games that Bobrovsky has surrendered at least three goals in a game.
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Bobrovsky → ’ → game
A power play late in the second looked like it wasn’t going to do the Leafs any favours.
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it → look → favours
The Matthews-led first unit was the definition of discombobulated.
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unit → lead → discombobulated
The second unit came out and didn’t look much better.
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unit → come → ?
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
