Early this season, the Leafs clamped it down defensively, benefitting from a new system and improved personnel on the blue line (We previously discussed their extremely impressive defensive numbers as a team). Before Auston Matthews fell injured, they were also trending as a top-10 possession team. They were suffocating defensively and spent much of the game in the offensive zone. Their start could have been something special with even a mediocre power play, but the overall play was impressive.
Then, Auston Matthews got injured just as the power play heated up, masking a big dip in their control over the five-on-five play.