Mirtle: Leafs season-killing losing skid hitting new levels

Share

Add another loss to the pile.

It has been almost 25 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs have had a skid this long and this deep. Months after the death of owner Harold Ballard, his influence lived on with the so-called curse, as they started the 1990-91 season with four wins in their first 26 games (4-21-1), the last period of sustained un-excellence matching this one.

It's hard to believe, given where they were last month.

The Leafs were dropped by Ottawa on Wednesday 4-3 to limp to the all-star break with only three wins in their last 17 games (3-14-0), hastening their hasty descent into the NHL basement.

They've had heartache in the past and they've had losing streaks in the past, but few have lasted this long and been this inexplicable. This may not be a good team, but they're also not this pathetically and almost historically inept.

In fact, prior to this month-long stretch, they went 10-1-1, earning accolades (of various legitimacy) for their scoring depth, their resolve and their ability to defy analytics.

At the time, clearly some of that was puck luck, as anything and everything that could bounce their way managed to do so.

Now it looks like most of it was.

Nine games of that cold streak was under former coach Randy Carlyle (2-7-0); the last eight have come under new coach Peter Horachek (1-7-0).

What's remarkable is how close the Leafs marks for shots for and against, and puck possession, are in these two portions of the season. The vast, vast majority of the swing into futility has been even strength shooting percentage (which has been almost halved) and save percentage (which has dropped from good to awful).

If you believe in the hockey gods, you'll see evidence of their work here.

If you don't, here's good reason to start.

"If our whole team starts getting some more bounces, it'll start going our way," defenceman Jake Gardiner said.

He's right. This is going to turn around, at least to some extent. It almost did in Wednesday's third period. The Leafs dominated Ottawa late and rallied to within a goal, finally putting some pucks (plural) past a goalie for the first time in what felt like forever.

The crippling lack of confidence the Leafs showed in the first period – and in several recent games – could be lifted by as little as one solid win, but they'll now have to sit through a painful week off of reflection before getting that chance.

Their new coach was frank when addressing how far they have to go.

"We have to learn to be mentally tougher," Horachek said. "And to play a whole game. We can't play like this and expect we're getting better and moving up the ladder.

"I think it's mental. I know there's been a lot of tough things that have gone on for the players."

Toronto's season is essentially over, in the sense of their chances at the playoffs. Within the last five weeks, the entire conversation around this team has become about two things – the draft and the rebuild – and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Both are of vital importance in terms of what new president Brendan Shanahan hopes to accomplish, but in the meantime, this group has to keep playing games, even as the front office drama churns in the background.

The underlying data here suggests that they can't possibly keep losing like this and that things will turn in their favour, even if the fan base would rather see the wheels continue to fall off, for the long-term benefit.

That the Leafs are about to get healthier – with Leo Komarov, Peter Holland and Joffrey Lupul all expected to be near returns by next week – should only bolster their cause.

Even though it's now a lost one.