Matthews & Marner pointless, awful PK, and more: 3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs lost 3-1 to Minnesota Wild

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 3-1 decision against the Minnesota Wild at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night. The Wild held off the Leafs’ late charge in the third period, holding on to a one-goal lead despite Toronto outshooting Minnesota 13-5 in the final frame.

Marat Khusnutdinov, Jared Spurgeon (PPG), and Marcus Foligno (EN) scored for the Minnesota Wild. Meanwhile, William Nylander got his 29th of the season to make the game close midway through the third period for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So, here’s a look at the three crucial reasons why the Maple Leafs lost to the Minnesota Wild:

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Three reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs lost to Minnesota Wild

#3 Ineffective power play

The Toronto Maple Leafs went 0-for-1 on the power play against the Minnesota Wild. While the Leafs managed two shots on goal, they were largely ineffective. The Leafs failed to move the puck well enough to generate significant scoring chances.

With the game as close as it was, the Leafs could have used a power play goal to tie the game. However, Toronto was unable to score in its lone opportunity and eventually lost the game.

It’s worth pointing out that the Leafs got just one opportunity with the man advantage. As such, they must do a better job of drawing penalties to increase the number of chances on the power play.

#2 Awful penalty kill

Like the power play, the Toronto Maple Leafs penalty kill didn't get the job done against the Wild. They went 0-for-1 on the penalty kill, allowing the Wild to get the winning goal in the first period.

Spurgeon’s goal with the man advantage proved to be the difference. Here’s a look at his goal:

The goal resulted from a point shot that hit Auston Matthews’ stick and trickled past Joseph Woll. The unfortunate blunder on the penalty kill ended up costing the Leafs the two points.

#1 Matthews and Marner pointless

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner had quiet nights, failing to get on the scoresheet. Marner ended with a minus-1 in over 23 minutes of ice time on 23 shifts. He got two shots on goal and created some open-ice opportunities in the third but couldn’t find the back of the net.

As for Matthews, he hit the post on a wicked shot in the first period. Beyond that, he couldn't manage much in nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He ended the night a minus-1 while getting six shots on net.

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The Leafs will be back on the ice on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers as they open a four-game West Coast swing.