Maple Leafs looked tired in loss to Islanders
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs slipped to a 5-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday, with the team looking a little on the fatigued side.
The Leafs put in a high-intensity performance against bitter rivals the Montreal Canadiens and it appears that the team simply ran out of gas against the Islanders, coughing up 3 goals in the third period.
Trailing 2-0 after the first, the Leafs held on in the second period to keep themselves within reaching distance of a comeback and after just one minute into the third period it looked like that would be the case.
Jake Gardiner's impressive powerplay shot from the point saw the Leafs pull the game back to 2-1, but from then on things just began to unravel.
Jhonas Enroth's poor clearance from behind his net allowed the Islander's Prince to stretch the lead to 3-1 and the Leafs began to lose confidence and energy at a rapid pace.
Two more goals were scored by the Brooklyn-based team and the Leafs were unable to maintain their recent streak of impressive offensive play.
The Islanders out-shot the Leafs 35-34 on the night and blocked 22 of the visitors' efforts.
The team in blue and white now face a high-flying Edmonton Oilers team at home this Tuesday, having a day to rest.
But the team needs to make sure they have a fresh look against the Oilers, which would be the perfect opportunity to introduce defenceman Frank Corrado for the first time this season.
Corrado has yet to feature this season for the Leafs and is likely to be full of energy and determination for his first game - something the Leafs could certainly use.
He has areas to improve on, but getting game time can certainly help him learn the areas he needs to improve the most while also boosting his confidence.
Whether or not Corrado is in line to play against the Oilers, head coach Mike Babcock will have decisions to make when his team begins to fatigue and when Josh Leivo eventually returns from injury.
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