Maple Leafs seek breakouts as losing streak raises alarms

There was a time people were in awe of the Maple Leafs breaking out of their own zone. Article content

Crisp relays by the defence, forwards with eyes in the back of their helmets, opposing dump-ins that died with the goalie and were swiftly moved north. Article content Article content

There were one-touch passes, blind backhands, give-and-go’s that zip-zip-zip got them on the attack, with William Nylander or some other fleet top-six scorer always on the prowl for a stretch breakaway.

So, what happened? Many nights it’s a dead end, where if the Leafs are not getting snuffed by opposing forecheckers, they get in their own way.

The result: A four-game losing streak, six of seven games with 30-plus shots against and a restless fan base that doesn’t care about injuries , the switch f