LGD: Battle Of The Losers

For all the talk lately about how bad the Leafs have been, the Coyotes have been just as terrible. Well, almost as terrible. Both of these teams are on seven game losing streaks, but the Coyotes have two shootout loses versus the Leafs one, so “take that Toronto!” say all 50 Coyotes fans. 

With that being said, the Leafs are playing for the second consecutive night after tying losing on the road to the Devils last night, 2-1 in a shootout. This will be the 12th time Toronto is playing on consecutive days, with a record of 5-5-1 in the second game of these situations. Unfortunately for the Leafs, they’ve decided to go with Jonathan Bernier in net again, and if history tells us anything, it’s that starting a goalie on consecutive nights is never a good idea. 

But, the silver lining here is the Coyotes are below the Leafs in the standings so a loss brings the Coyotes only eight points back of the Leafs with two games in hand. Is it wrong to cheer for Arizona as a Leafs fan? Yes and no. Seeing your team spiral further into the abyss is not fun, but praying for McJesus is as acceptable a reason out there. 

That first defensive pairing is rough. Komarov on the first line is rough. Trevor Smith being in the lineup is rough. This is just all rough. 

I wish I could give more insight into this roster. Some of these players I only know because of NHL Ultimate Team, some I’ve never heard of. Lessio? Shinnimin? Speak English please.