On Thursday night, for the second time in two weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a two-goal lead and let the game go to overtime. Then Jake Gardiner and William Nylander communicated poorly and conceded the game-winner against the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s not awesome. But do the two players deserve equal blame for the breakdowns?



If you recall, against Columbus, the winner was a bit convoluted. Nylander was coming back to the Leafs zone (after an excellent pass set up a Tyler Bozak breakaway) while Gardiner played what appeared to be a 1-on-1, but a Blue Jackets change turned it into a sneaky 2-on-1. Nylander was closest to the player who jumped on the ice and eventually got the puck — and could have defended him — but Gardiner didn’t seem to trust that he would, left the original player he was defending, and wouldn’t you know it, a successful pass back ended the game.



Here’s one quick look as a reminder, but we’re not...