Maple Leafs' woes grow at Heritage Classic ahead of NHL Trade Deadline

HAMILTON, Ontario --Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was midway through his postgame press conference Sunday when he was interrupted by loud laughter from an adjoining room where the Buffalo Sabres were being interviewed inside Tim Hortons Field.

He broke into a painful grimace, a look that's becoming a familiar one for him of late.
Frustration for Keefe and the Maple Leafs is buliding following a 5-2 loss to the Sabres at the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. It marked a continuation of their struggles against teams lower in the standings, a six-game run during which they are 2-3-1.
"It's something that we haven't been happy with," Keefe said.
Add it to the growing list of Maple Leafs concerns.
Not only have they failed to take advantage against teams in the bottom half of the NHL standings, but their defensive play and goaltending continue to be their Achilles' heel. They have allowed at least four goals in six consecutive games and at least three goals in eight straight.
The funk is even taking its toll on Toronto's top goal-scorer, Auston Matthews, who scored his NHL-leading 45th goal of the season in the second period.
Late in the third, Matthews exchanged cross-checks with Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, with each earning a minor penalty. Then he was knocked down by Buffalo forward Dylan Cozens with 1:43 remaining, which led to Toronto forward Michael Bunting coming to his aid.
Matthews, who was suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Monday for cross-checking Dahlin, was asked about the perception that he'd lost his composure.
"I haven't seen the replay of it," he said. "Just obviously battling in front of the net. I felt like my stick] just kind of rode up his shoulder a little bit. But it's competitive out there and guys are just trying to compete."
In the end, the Maple Leafs are losing games and their cool and will play their next two games without their leading scorer. So where do they go from here?
On March 4, Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said he was not concerned about goalies Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek. Since those comments, Toronto has allowed 24 goals in five games and announced Thursday that Campbell will be out at least two weeks with a rib injury.
Mrazek allowed four goals on 37 shots against the Sabres, although Buffalo's second goal, credited to forward Vinnie Hinostroza, went off the skate of Maple Leafs defenseman
[TJ Brodie
. Even with that bad bounce, the veteran goalie refused to make excuses.
"It doesn't feel well," Mrazek said. "It doesn't feel good when you lose the game. When you win the game, you find more positive than negative in your mind.
"I felt good out there since the season started. Like I said, if that's a game you don't win, then there are negative questions."
There are no shortage of those, and with the NHL Trade Deadline approaching March 21, Toronto must address its woes, whether in net or on the blue line.
Since Jan. 1, Campbell has the second-lowest save percentage (.882) and Mrazek is tied for the sixth lowest (.885) among goalies with at least 10 starts.
Though Keefe said he did not blame Mrazek for the loss Sunday, those numbers underscore the issues the Maple Leafs have endured in net.
Then there is the absence of defenseman Jake Muzzin, who is dealing with his second concussion in two months. The 33-year-old, who was placed on long-term injured reserve Feb. 23, skated on his own prior to practice last week and was on the ice with his kids for the team's Heritage Classic family skate at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday, but there is no timetable for his return.
Toronto has three games remaining prior to the deadline: at home against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday and the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, and on the road against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. And though it remains to been seen which, if any, position the Maple Leafs will address, this much is certain: Being this porous defensively will not get them far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Given that the Maple Leafs have not won a playoff series since 2004, the pressure is snowballing.
"There's no such thing as an off night in this league," defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "I mean, teams are hungry. Guys [are] playing for contracts. There's a lot going on. So I don't think that there's ever a night off.
"We talk about all the right things in the room prior to these games, whether it be this one or when we played them two weeks ago, or Arizona, or Seattle, you name it. But teams come out and play us hard, so it's on us to respond.
"I don't think that it's an issue for us long term, but obviously right now it's been tough sledding. And we've got to work to get out of it."