Leafs mess up chance to control Atlantic in Nashville loss

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The fast lane to first place closed as quickly as it opened for the snooze-you-lose Maple Leafs.

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After both Florida and Tampa Bay lost earlier on Saturday, results Toronto had to know about after taking a 2-0 lead in Nashville, it let the NHL’s lowest scoring team lay a 5-2 beating on it. Thus, the Atlantic Division leaderboard didn’t change, the Panthers and Leafs still knotted at 87 points, the Lightning two back with a game in hand.

Twelve remain for the Leafs, who saw their three-game win streak expire against a team that had lost its past four. What bordered on a Toronto blowout in the first few minutes became one of the most disappointing finishes this season for coach Craig Berube.

He was quite adamant before the opening faceoff that the Leafs “start on time” and not look at the standings where Nashville is second-last in its division, struggling to score despite its big-name additions last summer.

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Toronto did so and could’ve been up by about four after Matthew Knies screened for John Tavares’s 30th goal, his 11th on the power play and Auston Matthews won a draw to Mitch Marner for a lethal one timer, the captain’s second point of the night. But a 3-on-1 led by Tavares didn’t click, while Knies couldn’t get a free puck past goalie Juuse Saros. Knies then took a needless late period interference call that ex-Leaf Michael Bunting converted when the second frame commenced.

What would’ve been Scott Laughton’s first goal as a Leaf, a deflection from fellow newcomer Brandon Carlo’s shot, was also waved off by video review in the opening period as Laughton didn’t duck his high stick enough.

The Predators comeback continued after Tavares tried to force a backhand pass to William Nylander on a 2-on-1. Defenceman Jake McCabe stepped up at the Nashville line, but was caught, with Kieffer Bellows finishing up the odd-man rush. Bellows is the son of NHL great Brian and a former Islanders’ first rounder who re-started his career on tryout with the Toronto Marlies last season, a 27-goal push in 52 games.

Filip Forsberg scored late in the second, another Leaf pinch that backfired, Chris Tanev unsuccessful in covering a loose puck that Forsberg jammed in. After Saros made a big stop on Morgan Rielly on a rebound, Rielly and Brandon Carlo were out of sorts in coverage at the other end, allowing Luke Evangelista a great look to beat Woll.

lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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