Although there are commonalities between the city’s professional sports teams, transitive property isn’t a real thing, and the Toronto Maple Leafs were outclassed by the New Jersey Devils in a 5-2 loss.

Jack Hughes notched a hat-trick for the Devils and was the best player on the ice, perhaps the best individual opponent the Maple Leafs have squared off against this year. Cody Glass and Brenden Dillon also scored for New Jersey, while Jake Allen made 23 saves during a game where he was rarely tested meaningfully.

John Tavares opened the scoring, notching the 498th goal of his career. Tavares passed Darryl Sittler for 65th all-time on the NHL’s career scoring list as a result. It may have been the lone positive development for the Maple Leafs, who were outplayed in every facet of the game from the second period onwards. Matias Maccelli added the other goal for the Maple Leafs.

Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev left the game with an upper-body injury and was officially ruled out during the third period. Head coach Craig Berube stated that Tanev could possibly miss time, but did not provide further details post-game.

Jack Hughes is one of the most dynamic players in the NHL and he submitted a dominant effort, capping off his hat-trick with an empty-net goal, as 30 seconds remained on the clock. Hughes used his tremendous speed to great effect and he crushed the Maple Leafs with the totality of his skill set.

Toronto made it easy at times: Hughes walked in without much resistance for his first goal of the contest, wiring a shot cleanly past Anthony Stolarz. Max Domi didn’t close out on Hughes, and it was light work for the Devils’ superstar.

Hughes scored a beautiful goal in the second frame, flying off the rush, as Domi, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies were caught way too far up the ice. Stolarz didn’t have a chance, as Hughes ripped a slapshot off the rush for his second goal of the period. He would cap off his excellent game with an empty-netter in the final minute, and it was a signature performance from the 24-year-old, who is firmly in his prime.

“Yeah, he was really dangerous tonight. His ability to make plays in the open ice, the speed, anticipating plays, obviously, he had a big night tonight,” Matthews said of Hughes post-game.

The early portion of the season lends itself to experimentation, but Craig Berube is quickly running out of patience. Berube benched Easton Cowan, while placing Max Domi on the Maple Leafs’ top line, alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. It simply didn’t work: Knies-Matthews-Domi were outshot 6-2 with a ghastly 10 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5 in 8:33 via Natural Stat Trick.

“I think early on in the season I thought they were getting their opportunities and looking pretty good,” Berube said post-game. “Now it’s obviously not good enough. I don’t feel like they have any sustained pressure in the offensive zone at all. It’s one and done or out. I’m getting tired of it, to be honest with you.”

So what exactly is the answer? Cowan played well during his four games and Berube said Tuesday morning that he merely wanted the 20-year-old to get another look from the press box. Do the Maple Leafs overload the first line with William Nylander on the first line and run the risk of an imbalanced offence? Nylander and John Tavares, for what it’s worth, were the Maple Leafs’ two best forwards on Tuesday.

Would a combination of Cowan-Matthews-Nylander work? Berube is getting tired of the experimentation and after a flaccid showing against the Devils, we’re curious to see what combinations he puts together ahead of this weekend’s home-and-home with the Buffalo Sabres.

New Jersey is one of the fastest teams in the NHL, but it doesn’t excuse Toronto’s inability to close gaps and track back in rush scenarios. Toronto looked a step behind throughout the contest, and Berube wasn’t pleased post-game.

“Our D are just standing in there, jumping in there, not reading what’s coming at them. We’re late sometimes with our reloads and one of the biggest things is turnovers,” Berube said. “We got to be smarter. We got to be smarter.”

Hughes exploited the Leafs throughout the night, finding easy gaps to exploit, especially when the Leafs were caught way too far up the ice. It wasn’t just Hughes cutting through the defence though, and the Maple Leafs appeared to be in quicksand at times against a Devils team that relies on its superior pace to generate consistent offence. Devils defenceman Brenden Dillon, who isn’t known for his offence, beat Stolarz cleanly off the rush on a 3-on-1 scenario.

“We just have to be smarter with the puck and the way we’re managing the game,” Maple Leafs forward John Tavares said post-game. “A team like that with the way they can skate and how quick they are in transition, it obviously really hurt us, and we were chasing it from there.”

Berube rejected the idea that the Maple Leafs lack speed against opponents, noting that they are a fast team when they’re making sharp passes and executing their game plan. Rush defence was a key area of emphasis for Berube last year, and it may become a lot more pronounced if Tanev misses significant time with an upper-body injury.

It was a grim loss for the Maple Leafs, but the City of Toronto officially belongs to the Blue Jays. Myles Straw, Tyler Heineman and hitting coach David Popkins received the loudest cheers of the night, when the Leafs provided the Jays with a brief tribute during a break in play. As the Leafs fight through a 3-3-1 start, the Blue Jays are a true bright spot in the city’s sporting ecosystem.

Auston Matthews returned the favour and wore Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s jersey in the leadup to Tuesday’s game. Vladdy wore Matthews’ jersey prior to Game 7 against the Seattle Mariners, and there’s a mutual love between both teams.

Berube emphatically stated ‘How ’bout them Jays, boys!’ to start his media availability Tuesday morning, while Max Domi and Chris Tanev confidently said that the Jays were winning the World Series. As the Maple Leafs travel to face off against the Buffalo Sabres, the city will be standing at attention for Game 1 of the World Series at the Rogers Centre.