“I think it’s a big opportunity for you and you get to find out about your players. All 12 forwards and all six D, your goaltender – you find out about everything. There’s nowhere to hide.”



Well …



That was Mike Babcock before his team went up against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. A huge early measuring-stick game then turned into a disaster, with the Maple Leafs losing 7-3 and getting completely caved in by Tampa’s big Stamkos-Point-Kucherov line.



What did we find out about Babcock’s players?



The 12 forwards were largely ineffective, save for Auston Matthews, who had yet another multi-point game and produced 10 of his team’s 58 shot attempts. (He’s now second in the entire NHL with 45 attempts after five games. Alex Ovechkin has 47.)



The six D were disorganized and made repeated unforced errors in their own zone. They continue to get beat man-on-man in tight to the goal,...