5 takeaways from Leafs-Avalanche: Carlo’s rollercoaster debut, Marner surges in losing effort, Stolarz struggles

After forty minutes, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs could potentially escape against the Colorado Avalanche despite being outshot and out-chanced. Mitch Marner and John Tavares scored twice for the Maple Leafs, and they held a 4-3 lead at the second intermission, despite trailing 27-11 on shots.

And then the Avalanche’s true talent rose to the occasion, as the Maple Leafs blew a multi-goal lead for the second time in three games. Valeri Nichushkin completed his hat-trick, while Nathan MacKinnon scored twice in the final frame, as the Avalanche scored four goals in the third period, five goals unanswered, rolling to a 7-4 victory over the Maple Leafs. Joel Kiviranta and Jonathan Drouin also scored for the Avalanche.

Here are five takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ loss to the Avalanche:

• Brandon Carlo had a rollercoaster debut for the Maple Leafs. Carlo was paired with Morgan Rielly and they were on the ice for a goal during their first shift together, as Valeri Nichushkin’s first shot attempt of the night appeared to hit Rielly’s stick and beat Anthony Stolarz. Carlo-Rielly were on the ice again for Nichushkin’s second goal, where another deadling acquisition Scott Laughton lost a key puck battle. Carlo improved as the game went on, with a strong showing on the penalty kill during the second period and he played a team-high 22:04. There were some growing pains during his first game with the Maple Leafs, but he was arguably the team’s best defenceman after a shaky start, with his partner still allowing way too much room for the Avalanche off the rush.
• We don’t want to play pop psychologist, but Mitch Marner looked particularly charged during Saturday’s game, shortly after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Maple Leafs asked him to waive his no-trade clause in a potential deal for Mikko Rantanen. Marner is reportedly going to test free agency, a bet on himself, that has the potential to alienate the fan base in the coming months. The 27-year-old was excellent offensively, particularly during the first two periods, he hounded pucks, and was the Leafs’ best player in a result that otherwise lends itself to plenty of criticism. It wasn’t a highlight-reel performance necessarily, as Marner was on the ice for two goals, but he was engaged in all facets of the game. Marner said he wasn’t focusing on his no-trade clause, after the game via David Alter of The Hockey News. There’s going to be plenty of noise and commentary after this report, and you wonder if he’s going to take his game to another tier. It certainly adds further polarity to the discourse, and he can silence his critics with one stellar postseason run, or a new contract with the Maple Leafs.
• As my colleague Alex Hobson observed, the domino effect of Chris Tanev’s absence is sorely felt. When Tanev returns, Jake McCabe can play on his preferred side of the ice, and it allows Oliver Ekman-Larsson to balance out the rest of the lineup. Toronto are showing cracks in its defensive system during the losing streak, and Tanev’s sound positioning, elite shot-blocking and easy exits will go a long way for this group.
• Scott Laughton wasn’t particularly notable in his Leafs’ debut, save for a lost puck battle that led to Nichushkin’s second goal. Laughton is also acclimating to a new team right away, and he’s firmly pencilled in as the team’s third-line centre, but it wasn’t his night. Toronto was outshot 7-2 at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice, and he didn’t show signs of the secondary scoring he’s capable of providing. One-game samples aren’t nearly enough to be predictive, but it was a forgettable showing for the 30-year-old.
• We’re not pinning this loss on goaltending by any stretch after the Maple Leafs were outshot 34-21, but Anthony Stolarz wasn’t particularly good on Saturday. Stolarz didn’t make any sensational stops, and he saved -2.4 goals in all situations via Natural Stat Trick. Again, a one-game poor sample doesn’t make a season, and Stolarz has been excellent for the most part, but this is the third consecutive game where the Maple Leafs’ goalies have performed poorly, and you wonder if it’s a function of fatigue, or just part of the rigours of an 82-game season.