Thoughts in note form:
– The Leafs turned the puck over in neutral ice in the first 20 seconds of the game and that set the tone for the first 40 minutes. As is well known, in Guy Boucher’s system, the Senators clog the neutral zone with their 1-3-1, with their left defenceman standing up at the line, and you’re asking for trouble if you don’t take care of the puck in that area of the ice – they can create offense quickly in transition and are even more lethal in that area early this season than they were last year.