Defence is Leafs’ word of the day, but Babcock may have doubts Globe_Sports
If the Toronto Maple Leafs manage to put the brakes on their skid, they will remember Monday’s practice as their come-to-Jesus moment.
“I think just committing to defence,” Leafs centre Auston Matthews said of the message from the coaches. “Obviously, we’ve given up too many goals in these games. As well as we can play offensively and the firepower we have, we haven’t played that way on defence. It’s tough to win games like that. That’s basically the biggest message today.”
Things got interesting when the subject turned to depth. The Leafs are supposed to have lots of it, but with defencemen Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott on the shelf and the top Toronto Marlies farmhand Calle Rosen, who’s become an American Hockey League all-star, unavailable due to a foot injury, the blueline group grew thin in a hurry.
Funny thing. The Boston Bruins, who the Leafs just happen to be battling for second place in the Atlantic Division, have been dealing with multiple injuries since at least Christmas. But they managed to hang on to second place through most of that and now have a four-point lead on the Leafs. Both teams have 10 games left in the regular season.
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