Leafs-Wild takeaways: Nylander, Matthews can’t do it all by themselves as offence dries up

Here are four quick takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 3-1 loss to the Wild

• William Nylander and Auston Matthews were several steps above the rest of the team in a 3-1 loss, as Matthews created tons of chances for Mitch Marner and Bobby McMann, but the top line couldn’t find a goal. Nylander scored Toronto’s lone goal, converting on a feed from Pontus Holmberg, but Holmberg and Domi were otherwise listless in the losing effort. Domi was too hesitant as a shooter, and his passive approach to the game is becoming easier for opponents to diagnose. It wasn’t all bad: Nylander narrowly missed a Domi pass for a blistering one-timer, Nylander and Matthews both hit the post, but Toronto’s headliners are creating all the chances and getting limited support. Nylander and Matthews can’t do it all by themselves. Bobby McMann has drawn a ton of praise in this space, but he’s not suited for the top line in Matthew Knies’ absence, while Domi and Holmberg aren’t approaching anywhere near top-six form. Toronto’s offence has completely dried up, as Knies and John Tavares’ injury-related absences are becoming blisteringly apparent. We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Matthews accidentally tipped Jared Spurgeon’s shot into his own net, an unfortunate outcome for one of the few Leafs who made a real dent on the game.
• Morgan Rielly turned the puck over against Minnesota’s fourth line, which directly led to Marat Khusnutdinov’s opening goal, as Holmberg and Jake McCabe were too late to react. This is Rielly’s worst stretch of his career, and while McCabe has augmented his individual results in a small sample, it’s only a temporary fix. Rielly and McCabe finished with 34 and 36 percent shares of the expected goals at 5-on-5, respectively, but you don’t need the charts to quantify their performances Wednesday. It was far too passive from Rielly, and McCabe often had to account for his partner’s mistakes. Rielly is Toronto’s clear No. 4 defenceman, and the Maple Leafs may have to consider what his short-term impact on the roster looks like ahead of the trade deadline. “Can Morgan play better? Yes, he can,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said post-game.
• Chris Tanev should be the favourite to replace Alex Pietrangelo at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he was quietly terrific throughout the game, facilitating good reads, while making clever exists against a Wild team with a disciplined forecheck. Tanev broke up a Matt Boldy breakaway, and Toronto sported a plus-six goal differential when Tanev and Ekman-Larsson were on the ice. Keep this pairing intact for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and figure out the rest later.
• The need for a third-line centre is readily apparent — Fraser Minten may be exempt, due to his relative youth, but the Leafs aren’t getting anything from David Kampf, Steven Lorentz, Ryan Reaves, Domi hasn’t scored since December 20, and while Knies and Tavares will return, it’s incumbent upon the Leafs to take a swing, especially at this juncture of their contention timeline.