Five Takeaways - Leafs at Golden Knights - 12/31/17

1. Leafs dig major hole for themselves in opening period, go down by three goals before first intermission.Toronto was playing its third game in four nights and taking on a Golden Knights squad that has posted a 10-0-1 record in its past 11 games, but with that said, the opening period of Sunday afternoon's game was a disappointment for the Leafs. They were outshot 11-4 in the first 20 minutes, allowed Las Vegas a number of odd-man rushes, and gave up two goals in the first 4:17 (and three goals in the first 13:24) to find themselves trailing 3-0 entering the second frame.

The Buds' best scoring opportunity came right at the start of the first, when winger Zach Hyman curled out from behind Vegas' net and hit the post with his shot, but after that, it was all Knights. And even if fatigue from a tough schedule and a skilled opponent were major factors in the score, Toronto's start undoubtedly left a bad taste in the mouth of head coach Mike Babcock and his staff.

2. Marleau and Matthews score for Toronto in improved second period, but Knights add another marker, lead by two heading into third. The Leafs put in an improved effort in the middle frame and that was reflected on the scoresheet: forward Patrick Marleau netted his 15th of the season at 5:07 of the period to cut the Knights' lead to 3-1, and with 47.4 seconds left before the second intermission, centre Auston Matthews beat netminder Malcolm Subban with a typically terrific shot for his 16th of the year. However, in-between those two goals, Vegas centre William Karlsson scored his second of the game (and 19th of the season), and as a result, the home team carried a 4-2 lead into the final regulation period.

Toronto was even in shots with the Knights (with 10 apiece) in the second and Subban was sharp in keeping the Buds from getting any closer than they did. But if the Leafs had began the game with the same type of intensity they'd shown in the second, their deficit likely wouldn't have been as big as it was heading into the third.

3. Matthews nets second of the game, pulls Buds within one goal in third period's first minute.In his fourth game back after an injury, Matthews got more dangerous as the game went on - and after scoring to close out the second, he added his second of the day just 27 seconds into the third, moving through traffic and tapping in a shot into an open Vegas net to make it 4-3 in favour of the Knights.

The goal was Matthews' third in his past four games and his 100th career point as a Leaf, and it underscored his elite instincts to be near or around the net and take advantage of loose pucks. The 20-year-old's goal total Sunday moved him into a tie with winger James van Riemsdyk for the Leafs' lead in scoring, and he's got to that total having played nine fewer games than van Riemsdyk this year. Hard not to be impressed by the sophomore.
4. Knights reestablish two-goal advantage on Marchessault's goal.Las Vegas led the Pacific Division with a 25-9-2 record (including a 15-2-1 home mark) entering Sunday's game, and they've done so via depth and resilience under bench boss Gerard Gallant. So when Toronto came within one goal of tying it, it didn't surprise observers to see the Knights push back: centre Jonathan Marchessault registered his 14th goal of the year at 6:11, and once again, the Leafs had a two-goal hole to dig out from.
5. Leafs can't come back, end road trip on two-game losing streak.The Buds continued pushing until the final buzzer, but with goalie Frederik Andersen pulled for the extra skater, Karlsson raced blueliner Morgan Rielly down the ice for a loose puck and knocked it into Toronto's net for his first-ever hat trick and the final goal of the game. The loss meant the Leafs' five-game road swing ended with two straight losses - although they did earn a point in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado - and it was the second time on the trip they surrendered six or more goals in a game.
The glass-half-full news is Toronto earned five points on the trip, and now head back to Air Canada Centre for six consecutive games. However, their challenge will be considerable, as four of the teams they'll face in that stretch - Tampa Bay, San Jose, Columbus and St. Louis - are currently in a playoff spot. The Leafs' defensive intensity will need to be considerably improved if they're to get back in the win column, especially against the Atlantic Division-leading Bolts when they come to town Tuesday.