Here are six takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 5-2 loss to the Capitals:

• We don’t want to belabour the point, especially about a player that worked tirelessly to return to the NHL after a 20-month hiatus, but Murray’s poor performance was the main difference. There were several culprits on Andrew Mangiapane’s goal that tied the game at 1-1: Connor Dewar attempted a difficult, dangerous pass to a cutting David Kampf across the neutral zone and it was promptly picked off, Conor Timmins afforded Mangiapane way too much room to shoot, but it’s simply a shot Murray should’ve stopped. Perhaps it’s fair to give Murray credit for his performance prior to Mangiapane’s goal, as he stopped Tom Wilson in dangerous scenarios twice in the opening frame. Murray was beat cleanly by Jakob Chychrun on Washington’s second goal, and he should’ve been able to make a relatively uncontested save on Tom Wilson’s goal — a Chychrun wrister hit Wilson in the pants and went in. We’ll give Murray a pass on Nic Dowd’s game-winner, where Timmins may have been the real culprit, but there were few positives for the 31-year-old. “I’m sure he wants a couple back, but he hasn’t played a ton of hockey He battled. He fought. That’s about it,” head coach Craig Berube said post-game. Perhaps it’s a function of the Maple Leafs receiving strong goaltending throughout the year, but Murray has to be viewed as a true No. 3 at best, while the team waits for Anthony Stolarz to return from a procedure on his knee.
• William Nylander created a ton of good chances, but Washington’s Logan Thompson won the battle, making one of the saves of the year with a ridiculous glove. “I had some scoring chances and didn’t capitalize,” Nylander said post-game. “That’s probably one of the reasons why that happened. They played well, too. Chances I had early on would have given us a little bit of a lead if I had scored.” Nylander was simple in his approach, telling reporters that he’s merely looking to shoot where it’s open. It’s worked for him all season, and again, the difference in goaltending steered the result.
• Conor Timmins has completely reopened the debate — if there is one to be had — about Toronto’s No. 6 defence spot. Philippe Myers is finding his legs and beginning to become more assertive with the puck, but was scratched in favour of Timmins. Timmins gave Mangiapane all day to shoot on Washington’s first goal, and he was caught in no man’s land alongside Simon Benoit on Nic Dowd’s game-winning marker. Matthew Knies should be held responsible for a brutal turnover as well, but Timmins has reverted back to the form that often saw him out of the lineup in Sheldon Keefe’s system, his excellent start to the year has faded into the background. We’ll see if Myers returns on New Year’s Eve, but there’s a real competition and debate to be had for the 6th spot.
• Jakob Chychrun’s 10th goal of the season calls into question why the Maple Leafs haven’t generated more offence from the point. Toronto’s defencemen have combined for seven goals this year, the fewest among all teams. At the start of the year, Oliver Ekman-Larsson in particular showed a direct approach to attacking the net and Jake McCabe is constantly trying to get shot attempts through, but perhaps it’s the function of Berube’s structure. In any event, secondary scoring remains a glaring issue for the Maple Leafs.
• John Tavares was Toronto’s best player and he called his team out for a lack of execution post-game. “We did a lot of good things, no doubts. We could’ve won the hockey game, but looking at it from a little bit of a bigger picture, we have a little bit more and we have to be more consistent. It’s why we’ve been on the wrong side of it here over the past 4-5 games — obviously a good effort (Friday) getting the result we wanted and a lot more good things today, but we have to be more consistent throughout the 60 minutes, especially against good hockey teams.” Tavares pointed to improved execution and pace as areas of improvement and he’s certainly not wrong. Toronto controlled the shots and expected goals, but it isn’t attacking with its usual pace through the middle — Nylander and Bobby McMann are perhaps the exceptions here, and we don’t want to make declarative statements about a team that is in pole position in the Atlantic, while ranking 11th in 5-on-5 goals. Toronto has been at its best when it attacks through the neutral zone with pace, and simplifies its approach by attacking the net-front, rather than searching for looks at the top of the faceoff circle.
• Alexander Ovechkin was largely ineffective throughout the contest, but he scored the 869th goal of his career on an empty-netter and his gravity effect created space and opportunities for his linemates. Ovechkin wasn’t theatrical about his return after the morning skate and treated this like any other game. There are few opportunities to see a living legend at the latter stages of his career, and while it wasn’t a sensational return, all anyone will remember in a few months, or years, will be his empty-netter. “Obviously practice is one thing. And I [didn’t] have the [opportunity] for lots of practice with the team…But in the game, it happens so quick, so you have to be ready for that,” Ovechkin said post-game. “And obviously I try to feel with the puck mentally, physically. Since the first shift ended, I’m feeling like, ‘OK, now I can play.'”

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