Toronto Maple Leafs Given Huge Disadvantage Ahead Of Game Against the Columbus Blue Jackets

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Chris Gerics
October 22, 2024 (9:15 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have seemed a bit sluggish against Columbus, and for good reason, as it was revealed the team arrived a mere two hours before puck drop.

With Toronto playing the second leg of a back-to-back after a dominating performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team looked the complete opposite of the one that skated on Monday; looking sluggish and seemingly unmotivated as Columbus jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

But it wasn't really Toronto's fault, given they are extremely tired from traveling. The reason they look so out of it tonight is due to some extremely unfair circumstances that were revealed during the first intermission. According to the Sportsnet panel, the Maple Leafs only arrived in Columbus a mere two hours before puck drop; a huge negative in terms of preparation and readiness.

This happens to not only be a Maple Leafs problem, but a league problem. Commissioner Gary Bettman decided to make the bold decision to schedule 16 games involving all 32 teams on Tuesday.

It's great for equality, but he neglected to remember that the NBA Season kicked off, as well as having only one game scheduled on a Monday where the prime-time game between the Ravens and Buccaneers wasn't 'must-watch' TV. Clearly, Bettman and his crew had ideas for 'Frozen Frenzy' where everybody had a game, but that frenzy could have been better organized with a little foresight.

Maple Leafs fans aren't too happy with how the team has played, though they should also look to direct their frustrations towards Bettman. Still, that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

It's understandable why Maple Leafs fans are upset, but given they only had minimal time to prepare, while dealing with travel issues and a brutal time crunch; they were destined to fail tonight. Not every team will win every game, nor will they always impress. Toronto has looked terrible tonight, but it's not completely their fault.

They did manage to score two goals thanks to Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson, who finally scored his first goal of the season but were outdone by goaltender Daniil Tarasov and a two-goal night from Mathieu Olivier as Columbus prevailed 6-2.