Toronto Maple Leafs: Why Goaltending Is Not the Problem

To anyone who thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs are losing because of their weak and inexperienced goaltending duo, I ask you this: Did the Leafs lose against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday because of their goaltending?

Now, look at all their losses in 2012 so far. Was poor goaltending the reason the Leafs lost all those games, or was it something else?

James Reimer did play a part in the loss against Ottawa on January 17th, but where was the rest of the team?

It's easy for fans to blame the coaches for a prolonged losing streak or for them to blame the goalie for letting that bad game-winning goal in. It's a little more difficult for fans to blame the forwards, who seem to be doing their jobs properly. After all, the Leafs at the time of writing are seventh in the league for goals for with 141.

The Leafs are 25th in the league in goals against with 144, so it must be the fault of the goalies and the defensemen, right?

Reimer has not been able to regain his early season form since returning from his head injury. He has shown the ability to be a big-time NHL goalie (remember January 1st, 2011?), so it's just a matter of time before he smartens up.

Jonas Gustavsson, though shaky early on, has taken over the starting position, and not just in a de facto capacity.

Gustavsson has been excellent for the past few weeks and has looked like a changed player. Gone is the timid Gustavsson whose game lacked confidence and speed.

The new Gustavsson is the Monster.

Unfortunately, the Monster isn't getting the support he needs to win games.

Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been dynamite offensively, but where have they been defensively?

In the 3-1 loss to Montreal, Kessel was even, but Lupul was on the ice for all three Montreal goals. Lupul was especially bad on the third Montreal goal when he had an easy chance to chip the puck out of his zone, but had a brain fart instead.

Since the loss in Buffalo on January 13th, Kessel and Lupul are sporting a minus-six rating. Including that game, the Leafs have lost four of five.

In an odd quirk, the Leafs have killed off all their penalties so far in 2012. The PK clearly isn't the biggest issue anymore.

Gustavsson has a 0.925 save percentage in his eight starts in 2012, so he clearly isn't the problem either.

The problem is defense, but we're not just talking about defensemen here.

Few, if any of the Leaf skaters can be singled out for their exemplary defensive play of late.

For some reason, the Leafs always seem to get hemmed into their own zone. It is maddening to see the Leafs get half a dozen glorious chances to clear within a 60-second span only to give up a goal.

And let's be honest, we see it all the time.

The Leafs either spin their wheels or stare at the puck while their opponents cycle it efficiently. After 45-60 seconds, the other team changes on the fly while the Leaf skaters are still picking their noses.

When the Leafs actually manage to properly clear their own zone, that's when they become dangerous. That's when they get their speed game going to enter the offensive zone. If they don't capitalize on their initial chance off the rush, the Leafs have a few players who play the cycling game very well.

Most of the Leafs' defensemen and top-nine forwards are good at moving the puck around the offensive zone. Once the other team starts spinning their wheels, the Leafs are good at putting them away or at least generating excellent scoring chances.

However, none of this can happen unless the puck exits the defensive zone first.

There's only so much a goalie can do when the opponent is skating laps around both his forwards and his D-men.