3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 5-2 loss to Montreal Canadiens ft. Troy Stecher

The Toronto Maple Leafs got pounded on Saturday night at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs dropped a 5-2 decision that descended into a fight-filled contest late in the third period. The main event featured Canadiens Florian Xhekaj against Maple Leafs blueliner Dakota Mermis.

On the scoreboard, Noah Dobson and Josh Anderson scored twice for the Habs, with Lane Hutson getting the other for the Canadiens. Meanwhile, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander (PPG) scored for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from their 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs from loss to Montreal Canadiens

#3 Joseph Woll

The Toronto Maple Leafs' starting netminder had an overall decent game. However, he was the victim of his team’s lack of defensive effort, leading him to surrender four goals on 25 shots. Unfortunately, Woll got the hook midway through the second period.

Leafs coach Craig Berube yanked Woll in hopes of sparking a turnaround in the game. The move was to no avail as the Canadiens dominated the game. Dennis Hildeby came in relief, stopping all three shots he faced.

#2 Scott Laughton

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward had a largely uneventful night. He hit the ice for a little over 16 minutes across 24 shifts. While he showed some drive at certain points in the game, he was unable to translate that initiative into a solid performance.

Laughton managed just one shot on goal on the night. He ended the game a minus-2 as his line got burned on multiple occasions. Here’s a good example, as shown on the Canadiens’ official X site:

Laughton was far too late to the net, preventing him from stopping the Canadiens from finding the back of the net. The Leafs pondered challenging the goal for interference, but ultimately declined to do so.

#1 Troy Stecher

The Maple Leafs' recent waiver claim had a rough night of his own. Stecher played over 22 minutes on the night as regular Jake McCabe left the game in the second period after getting hit in the face.

Stecher hit the ice for 28 shifts and had a relatively busy night. However, his role in the Canadiens’ third goal was pretty much the back-breaker for the Leafs.

Here’s a look at the tally:

Stecher’s frustration was evident as he motioned to break his stick, but managed to restrain himself.

The Maple Leafs will have a couple of days off to regroup before facing the Columbus Blue Jackets for the third and final time this season. The matchup will take place at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday night.