That 5-2 loss to the Flames last night was ugly, flat-out. And it got even rougher for the Maple Leafs with Kirill Marchenko having to leave the game after an awkward fall, and coach Hiller’s words about him not returning definitely weren’t a “good sign.” But what really jumps out is young Easton Cowan straight up taking the blame for the loss, and this is the struggling team rolling into Seattle for a Wednesday night showdown.
Bobrovsky’s Struggles and Five-on-Five Woes Plagued Toronto
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the Leafs did not play a strong game against the Flames. For two entire periods, they were collectively awful at five-on-five, struggling with “no structure” and “terrible zone exits.” Sergei Bobrovsky was not good in net either. The third period saw them avoid repeating their dismal 30% Corsi at five-on-five, and they did manage to add one goal, but it wasn’t nearly enough to dig out of the hole. The final score was 5-2 Flames, punctuated by two empty-net goals after Bobrovsky was pulled. Interestingly, both goalies in the game took penalties, and there were a lot of power plays, mostly favoring the Flames, creating considerable four-on-four action. The lone consistent positive for Toronto was their power play, which was excellent, as was Devin Cooley, unfortunately for the Leafs.
Young Guns Flash, But It’s Cowan’s Blame That Echoes
Amidst the chaos and poor play, there were a couple of bright sparks, especially from the young guys. Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna showed some real flashes in the first two periods. After Marchenko went down, Cowan was even moved onto a line with McKenna and Colton Sissons, and he made it count, scoring a goal off a slap pass from Stecher. But the real headline from the youth came after the final buzzer. Cowan himself took full accountability for the loss, stating, “Bad turnover & dumb penalty by me so those two goals are on me & I got to be better. I cost us the game.” That’s a bold statement for a young player, showing a lot of guts to own up like that. Earlier in the day, GM John Chayka had spoken to the media, touching on the team’s four-game winning streak (now snapped, obviously), the possibility of adding a defenseman via trade, and, you guessed it, the development of young stars like Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan. There was also a positive note with Chris Tanev participating in a team skate for the first time since his injury.
So, this is the Maple Leafs squad arriving in Seattle for a 10 pm start on Wednesday. A team trying to climb out of a deep hole, facing injury concerns, with a young star publicly shouldering blame, and their GM eyeing defensive help. It’s going to be a fascinating matchup to see what version of this team takes our ice.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pension Plan Puppets.
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