Dissecting yet another inexplicable loss to an inferior opponent: Leafs Morning Take

Death, taxes, and the Leafs puking all over themselves versus inferior opponents.

Ah yes, the three constants you never knew you wanted or needed in life. Unfortunately, in Leafs Nation, the third one has become pretty much a formality over the years. Any way you slice it, it’s been very frustrating to observe.

Given what we discussed on Thursday’s show about the possibility of it being a trap game, you just knew I was going to start the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take by ribbing Rosey a bit. All in all, the fact that the Leafs erased a 5-0 deficit in the third period probably made things ten times worse. The cherry on top was them doing all that work only to fall in OT. Very Leafy, sadly.

Presented by Door Dash, The Appetizer focused on the wild 6-5 OT loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. We tried our best to get to the root of the problem. Spoiler alert: It’s crystal clear. At this point, the Leafs are who they are. Don’t expect anything to change. Additionally, Auston Matthews is a rockstar. Quietly, he’s on pace for 70 goals. Utterly ridiculous. On top of all that, we dissected Ilya Samsonov’s struggles this season and where the Leafs go from here with their much-maligned Russian netminder.

 

Additionally, thanks to Charm Diamond Centres, we discussed the injury to Ryan Reaves. After the game, all Sheldon Keefe said was that the tough guy will be out “a while.” Needless to say, the next little stretch will be an important time for the likes of Bobby McMann, Nick Robertson, and others.

Meantime, courtesy the Wendy’s Daily Faceoff Survivor, we previewed a game many have had circled on the calendar since the schedule came out in June. Kyle Dubas and Jason Spezza are set to make their respective returns to Toronto on Saturday night as the Maple Leafs host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Can’t wait for those video tributes. Also, curious to see the atmosphere in the building for that one.

 

That’s a wrap for another week of the show. Join us on Monday at 11 AM ET as we recap the Dubas REVENGE GAME plus look ahead to Toronto’s slate for the final week of outings before the holiday break.