Disastrous Maple Leafs Power Play Leads to First-Round Exit

The Toronto Maple Leafs power play and lack of offensive production is a key aspect as to why they fell short against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. In the last 10 playoff series that the Maple Leafs have featured in, they faced the Bruins in four of them. Each of those series has ended in a game-seven defeat for Toronto. Typically, at the end of those series, many questions are raised about the top forwards making the big bucks. Even with all the talent on the Leafs’ roster, it seems that the forward group can’t produce in the playoffs.

1-21 on the Power Play these Playoffs

In the NHL playoffs, referees are known to ‘put the whistles away.’ They usually let teams play a more physical brand of hockey with fewer repercussions compared to the regular season. This means that power plays are usually tough to come by and teams should take advantage of the man advantage.

In the regular season, the Maple Leafs were solid on the power play, finishing seventh-best at 24.0%. However, in these playoffs, Toronto finished with the worst power play at 4.8%. These numbers are inexcusable considering the top-end talent that the Leafs have upfront. Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander to name a few.

Lack of Adjustment

Despite the several unsuccessful attempts on the power play throughout the series, there weren’t any noticeable changes to the way the special teams operated. Often times, Toronto look for the perfect shot or opportunity before they throw a puck at the net. When there’s possession in the offensive zone, there is a lot of perimeter play and passes to the outside. While it’s important to establish possession of the puck, it sometimes feel like valuable time is being wasted when nothing is thrown on goal.

There is a perfectionist-like approach with every power play, including the zone-entry. Whenever the opposition clears and it’s time to reset. It seems like it takes 20-30 seconds before they can set up in the offensive zone again.

The Edmonton Oilers on the other hand have the best power play percentage these playoffs at 45.0%. When looking at how they approach the man advantage, Connor McDavid usually roams around the offensive zone, supplying numerous options and creating space. This strategy makes it tougher for the opposition to predict what will happen. In comparison to the Leafs power play, every one has their spot on the ice and the movement is very minimal.

Inability to Score at Even Strength

Not only did Toronto struggle to put the puck in the net on the man advantage, it was still a struggle at even strength. Typically, they’re known for their ability to out score the opposition, but no luck with that in this series. The Leafs did not score more than two goals against the Bruins. In fact, in the seven games that were played,  they were only able to score 12 goals, second lowest among teams in the playoffs. The only team with less is the Washington Capitals and they only played four games. This is another confusing statistic because in the regular season, the Maple Leafs were the second highest scoring team.

Boston Shutting the Door

In fairness to the Bruins, they put up a great display of defensive hockey. They forced Toronto to the outside, put their body on the line and blocked shots. When Toronto was able to break through Boston’s defensive lines, they still had to deal with Jeremy Swayman.