Missed nets, missed opportunity: These Maple Leafs can’t outscore mistakes

DETROIT — Missed nets, a missing skate blade and a missed opportunity.

In a back-and-forth affair in front of a red-and-blue crowd that broke into a rhythmic, oxymoronic “Let’s Go, Red Wings! Go! Leafs! Go!” chants, the Toronto Maple Leafs left two points they should have gobbled up like rectangular pizza at Little Caesars Arena.

“Got to finish better. We can’t come out of the game 24 shots on net only. Whether it’s missing the net, blocked, whatever the case, we got to find a way to get those onto the net more,” coach Craig Berube said, following Saturday’s 4-2 loss.

“Defensively, we could have been better tonight.”

It was a night where Toronto’s concerning trend of unfinished five-on-five chances reared its ugly head and a collection of untimely mistakes resulted in a regulation loss that could have easily been spun into a win.

“It’s been an interesting team to watch because they haven’t been the offensive juggernaut that they’ve been in the past,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde observed.

Auston Matthews sniped a beautiful one-timer on the power-play, and Matthew Knies executed a smart knockdown tip — both set up by Mitch Marner. But for the fourth time in their past five outings, the Leafs couldn’t find a third goal (Marner’s called-off goal due to offside challenge notwithstanding). 

Which can be concerning in a 3-2 league.

They fired 19 shots that missed the net. Another 13 got blocked before they could reach Detroit goalie Ville Husso.

“We got a lot of O-zone time. But I think we just didn’t get enough shots on net, didn’t create a lot of loose pucks around the net, and kind of made his job easy. I think that was the difference.” Knies said.

“We got some good D, and we just want to get the puck through. And the more we can create havoc around the net, the better. I think we can dominate teams below the goal line and around the net.”

The Red Wings — struggling to summon confidence after dropping six of their past seven coming into this one — dominated off the rush.

Defenceman Jeff Petry knocked in the winner untouched on a rebound following a nice save by Joseph Woll, and Moritz Seider snapped one on a splendid tic-tac-toe counterattack following a Matthews turnover in the neutral zone with just 18 seconds left in the second period.

“We can’t give up a goal there. Can’t do it. Can’t do it. Sorry,” Berube said. “We got to be better.”

The captain heard the message. 

“Little breakdowns that just can’t really happen on our side, they capitalized on,” Matthews said.

Here’s the tricky part: Even if Toronto’s defensive gaffes are fewer and farther between, they become magnified on a night like this because the Berube Leafs are less likely to outscore their mistakes.

Luckily, Matthews avoided injury in a dangerous play in which a hard pass snapped the blade of his right skate clean off at speed and, with only one brake, he went crashing into the end boards.

“It’s never happened to me,” Matthews said. “It’s definitely interesting. I was a little bit mixed up. Luckily, (Jake McCabe) was there to get me back to the bench.

“I knew the blade came out. I just didn’t know what to do after that.”

The missed nets, missed assignments, and missed-out points will soon float out of memory, as the Maple Leafs fly back to Toronto for a 5 p.m. puck drop against another underwhelming divisional opponent, the Buffalo Sabes.

“Junior hockey, I guess,” Marner smiled.

Consider it an immediate chance to correct some of Saturday’s mistakes.

That’s how Knies sees it: “Ice bath, protein shake, and get right back after it.”

• Berube’s pre-game scouting report on Seider, whose go-ahead goal was also his 150th career point: 

“He kind of does everything. He’s a big guy. He’s a very physical player. And he does a great job of getting up the ice with the play and in zone, doing his thing with his shot and his ability to move. Hard guy to defend, and he’s a hard guy to beat in the offensive zone because of his size and the stick length and the skating ability. Very good player.”

• After morning skate, a young girl in Detroit offered Fraser Minten a wrapped Christmas gift about the size of a large ring box in exchange for one of his hockey sticks.

• Little Caesars Arena broke into some thunderous “Jar-ed Goff!” chants during first period action.

Big football game across the street here Sunday, as the Detroit Lions (12-1) host the Buffalo Bills (10-3).

“They’ve got some of the best goaltending in the league, but I think that’s the play in front of them,” Lalonde said. “Both (Woll and Anthony Stolarz) are well above expected, but you can get that if you’re doing good things in front of them.

• Stolarz (lower body) did travel with the Leafs to Detroit but did not take to the ice. Off-ice work and treatment only. 

Prospect Dennis Hildeby (1-1, .869) will get his third NHL start Sunday evening versus Buffalo. 

“He always comes to rink ready to get better and to compete,” Bobby McMann says.

“Especially in practice, you see it all the time. Every time he’s come up, he’s just never quit on pucks.”