This was a bad game to lose two centres for. Anaheim creates matchup issues at the best of times, and losing two veterans to injury at the last minute isn’t that.



It was a bad game to take five minor penalties in, too. (And yes we’ll acknowledge here that the officiating wasn’t terrific.)



It was also a tough game to dress eight rookie skaters – plus Josh Leivo, who had 28 NHL games to his name and had played five times since the AHL playoffs in May.



A lot of things conspired to kill the Maple Leafs on Monday against the Ducks, with former coach Randy Carlyle back for the first time on the other bench. The big ones came down to what was happening down the middle of the ice, where they couldn’t absorb the two losses.



Let’s start with the fourth line and work our way up the lineup.



Freddy “The Goat” Gauthier



The Goat’s eighth NHL game, and first this season, threw him into the...