John Tavares’ lack of output and other Maple Leafs Game 4 observations

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Three observations from Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins, won 3-1 by Boston at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday:

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TAVARES LACKING

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One area of John Tavares’ game we won’t question is his desire. The Maple Leafs captain brings it every night.

Trouble is, it’s not matched by Tavares’ output. His only point in the series was a power-play goal in Game 2. A team can’t expect to win a playoff series when its second-line centre is producing no points — either for himself or for linemates — at 5-on-5. 

Tavares was tied for fifth among Leafs during the regular season in 5-on-5 points with Tyler Bertuzzi. Each had 35. Auston Matthews led Toronto with 61, followed by Mitch Marner and William Nylander, who had 45 each, and Max Domi, who had 44.

Against Boston in this series, Tavares has six shots on goal in 47 1/2 minutes of 5-on-5 play. 

In the faceoff circle on Saturday, usually a hot spot for Tavares success, he was not in full sync. Tavares won nine of his 20 draws, the first time in a game in the series that he was not over 50% at the dot.

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TAKING SOME HITS

This Leafs team is more physical than any other that has gone before them in recent memory. 

The NHL’s official scoresheet had the Leafs outhitting the Bruins 65-37 on Saturday with defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin leading the way with nine hits, followed by Joel Edmundson with eight and Morgan Rielly and Tavares with seven each. The only Leafs player who didn’t hit one Bruin, apparently, was Domi.

The Leafs have outhit the Bruins 220-189 in the series and yet if Auston Matthews didn’t have a monster performance in Game 2, we’d probably be sifting through the wreckage of a four-game sweep by Boston.

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Among Bruins, defencemen Charlie McAvoy (20), Brandon Carlo (19) and Hampus Lindholm (18) have absorbed the most hits in the series. 

The Bruins have adapted well to the Leafs’ physical habits. Those Toronto habits didn’t get in the way of another Bruins win in Game 4.

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DEARTH OF DEPTH

If you’re going to win in the playoffs, your best players have to lead the way. It’s fairly straightforward.

That doesn’t mean that a team can get by without contributions from further down in the lineup. And by that, we mean actual goals.

In 10 of their past 11 Stanley Cup playoff games, the Leafs have scored two goals or less. Without close-to-perfect goaltending and defence, success for the team isn’t going to happen. 

On Saturday, a six-pack of Leafs forwards — Calle Jarnkrok, Matthew Knies, Pontus Holmberg, David Kampf, Nick Robertson and Ryan Reaves — combined for two shots on goal. Four — Knies, Holmberg, Kampf and Reaves — didn’t even register an attempt. 

It goes without saying that the Leafs’ role players have to find something extra in the elimination game on Tuesday.

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