NEWARK, N.J. - Night after night, day after day, Mike Babcock patiently assured us it would just be a matter of time.
Calmly (for the most part) the Leafs coach talked about the lack of worry over rookie Auston Matthews and his development as a top-flight NHLer, despite a prolonged scoring slump.
Wednesday night, the faith in Babcock was restored as the team’s prized first overall drift pick delivered. Too bad he couldn't say the same thing about his team’s defensive effort in a game that got ugly after a strong opening 20 minutes.
The Leafs blew a 3-0 first-period lead, and a 4-3 margin after two, losing 5-4 in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils.