The Maple Leafs lost last night to a team projected to be one of the worst in the league this season, setting their record at two losses and two wins for the season to date. Here is our full recap on that game:

Game Four Recap: Maple Leafs lose to Coyotes

And here are some thoughts from Sheldon Keefe about the game:

And we will probably have an update on the status of Jake Muzzin this morning.

I really don’t want to talk anymore about that game.

So let’s check in down Lake Shore Boulevard at the Coliseum, where the Marlies have played their first two games of the season with a home and away series against the Rochester Americans. The Amerks hosted the first game and defeated the Marlies 4-2, while on Saturday the Marlies had their home opener and won the game 3-1.

The two games played out quite differently, with the Marlies coming out of the game and scoring quickly in the first game—Alex Steeves gets credit for the first Marlies goal of the season—and then the team fizzling out and doing nothing with that momentum, even letting in an embarrassing short handed goal.

On Saturday it was the inverse, with the Marlies starting out slow in the first period, letting the Amerks get up 1-0. Then in the second period the momentum started to build, and while they still didn’t score, that momentum carried in to the third period where they finally took over the game and showed what they could really do.

It was none other than Nick Robertson who got the first goal on a power play.

Greg Moore noted that was what really kicked the team into overdrive to finish the game with a win, saying “you could tell there was a sense of fun and relaxation on the bench [because] everything they had done to that point was coming together.”

Alex Steeves added the second on another power play, also his second of the season, and I note it was Semyon Der-Arguchintsev who had the 1A on both of those goals, and he’ll likely be racking up a lot of assists that way this season as he’s great at those setup passes on the power play.

As it is for the Leafs, this is only the very beginning of a long season, with 70 more Marlies games left on the calendar. Their next two will be at the Coliseum on Saturday and Sunday, both against the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings affiliates).

How the rosters will be set for those games is an interesting question, with the Leafs recalling Victor Mete and Nick Robertson, there will have to be some shuffling, but the Marlies have lots of extra bodies at the moment, so they can manage to plug those holes for now. We just hope they won’t lose players to injuries at the rate the Leafs have.

Other News

At least the Leafs weren’t the only team embarrassed last night.

And here’s how you stop an empty net goal, in case the Leafs want to know.

Why Ray Ferraro stepped away from TSN and his hockey obsession - The Star
"Ferraro works between the benches, and checks his phone during games because the broadcast team sends stats. Because he’s a human, he sometimes keeps fiddling. A text from a friend popped up. “And it says, ‘Why the f- are you doing at a Columbus-Toronto game on a Tuesday night, for regional hockey, when you live in Vancouver?” Ferraro says.
“And I’m like, I don’t know. I don’t know.”"

By the way, Mason Marchment has three goals and two assists in three games. Just sayin’.

Toronto Marlies