3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 5-3 Loss to Leafs

More importantly, Simashev’s assist was his first-ever NHL point. It’s been a long time coming for him. He’s played in all 14 games this season and has had chances to get either a goal or an assist. However, it just hasn’t come yet. 

That changed on Wednesday. It was a great moment for the defenseman. You could see how happy his teammates were for him, including Sergachev.

“They turn it over, he picks it up,” Sergachev said. “He’s in the right spot, finds me, and I see that there’s two or three guys skating by the goalie, and I send one along the ice and it goes in. I’m happy for Simmer (Simashev). He’s great. He’s a great player. He’s gonna have a lot more points coming in.”

Perhaps this is the point that gets Simashev going. While offensively he’s been quiet, his defensive game has been solid considering these are his first NHL games. However, he’s more than just a defensive defenseman. There’s offense in there. It just needs to come out.

I personally have been one who is in favor of Simashev going to the American Hockey League to get some top minutes and adjust to the North American style of hockey. Daniil But is thriving from that. Right now, it’s understandable since Sean Durzi is out with an injury. However, if the offense still doesn’t come by the time he returns, perhaps time in the AHL will be beneficial for Simashev.

Despite that, getting point number one is massive for Simashev. It’s something he’s been wanting to do for what seems like forever. Now, the drought is over, and he couldn’t be happier.

“I’m just happy,” Simashev said. “Finally, I got the first point.”

Matias Maccelli Gets His Revenge Game

For four seasons, Matias Maccelli played for the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club organizations. In his final two seasons with the Coyotes, Maccelli was unstoppable, producing 106 points in 146 games. He looked like a big piece of the core going forward.

Then, after the move to Utah, everything that could go wrong went wrong for Maccelli. He only played 55 games with the team last season, producing a mere 18 points. He was healthy scratched repeatedly. He seemed defeated and miserable. A move was inevitable and needed.

On June 30, Maccelli was shipped off to the Leafs. After everything he had gone through, Nov. 6 was surely circled on his calendar. A chance to prove to his former team that they had made a mistake. He surely reminded the Mammoth on Wednesday of the talent he displayed in Arizona.

Maccelli’s first point of the evening came in the second period. He beat Olli Määttä to the puck and quickly skated to the side of the faceoff circle before passing it to Auston Matthews. Matthews ripped home the puck, scoring the second Leafs goal of the game.

Maccelli wasn’t done yet. In the third period, he passed the puck over to Dakota Joshua as he set himself up in a good scoring position. Joshua passed it back to him, and Maccelli ripped it to score against his former team. It ended up being the game-winning goal for the Leafs.

It had to be a good feeling for the forward. After everything he had been through in the past year, the goal was not just a revenge goal. It was also a little bit of closure for him. The move was warranted. Toronto is a better place for Maccelli.

“He’s a great guy,” head coach André Tourigny said. “If you’ve been around him, he’s a great guy. I don’t wish nothing but the best, other than against us.”

While the final bit of closure will come when the Leafs eventually make their trip to Salt Lake City, Maccelli has to be happy with his performance. Despite being scratched in the Leafs’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins before Wednesday, he now has seven points in 13 games and has looked decent when playing with Matthews.

‘We Didn’t Do What Coach Asked Us to Do’

The Leafs are better than an 8-5-1 record. This was always going to be a tough game for the Mammoth, especially coming off a close game against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

Funny enough, the start was strong with Michael Carcone breaking the ice late in the first period. Surprisingly, the second period wasn’t bad either. It was the third period that the game got away from the Mammoth.

Three straight goals by the Leafs, including Maccelli’s game-winner, doomed them. However, the Mammoth didn’t necessarily play badly. In fact, they even outshot the Leafs in every period. It was just a mediocre period where the Leafs looked better.

“The effort was not the problem,” Tourigny said. “We could not make a play. We could not execute. Our puck touch was no good, and on their side, they did what they had to do. They worked. I think it was extremely tough for us to connect a few plays in a row.”

The Leafs clearly outpaced the Mammoth in the third period. They also played a good shutdown defense. As Tourigny said, when the Mammoth were able to enter into the Leafs’ zone, their opponents would quickly swarm them and battle hard for the puck. It shut down any passes or chances, and everything would be reset.

Ultimately, the problem was simple. The Mammoth didn’t play hard enough. Sergachev said it best. The team didn’t do what Tourigny asked them to do.

“They played well,” Sergachev said. “They’re a great team. They play fast, they play with pace. Their forecheck is great, and it causes problems because we didn’t do what coach asked us to do, and we played simpler in the neutral zone than in our zone.”

It’s disappointing since the Mammoth didn’t show any of that exhaustion in the first two periods. They had a decent shot at winning the game. Instead, it passed them by.

There is a certain line that needs to get better. Despite Dylan Guenther scoring late in the game, the “kid line” has been quiet as of late. Both Logan Cooley and JJ Peterka have only two points in their past five games. Guenther has three, counting the goal on Wednesday.

The lack of production isn’t acceptable for this line. These are talented players who are all now locked down for the foreseeable future for the Mammoth. They’ll need to break through on this trip; otherwise, the Mammoth will find themselves in a hole.

The Mammoth were clearly tired. It’s definitely valid. However, to win a hockey game, you have to play competitively. The other team won’t have any sympathy for you, and they’ll expose your weaknesses. That’s exactly what happened against the Leafs.

“It’s about consistency, full 60,” Sergachev said. “We’re on a back-to-back. Conditioning might be a thing because you feel a little bit tired, but you’ve got to dig deep. Play simple, simplify the game. We didn’t at times, and it cost us.”

The Mammoth will have some time to rest. Their next game isn’t until Saturday. However, they’ll play the Montreal Canadiens, who are currently on top of the Atlantic Division. It’ll be a tough task, but a win is always needed. Now, maybe more than ever in the past couple of weeks. Winning the game against the Sabres snapped the mini losing streak. A win against the Canadiens needs to get the Mammoth back to their consistent winning ways.

As mentioned, the Mammoth will play the Canadiens on Saturday. The Canadiens are 9-3-1 this season and are coming off a 5-4 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. They will play the New Jersey Devils before Saturday’s game. Last season, the two teams played two games against each other, splitting the season series. The Mammoth lost the most recent game in January by a score of 5-3.