Stolarz shaky, 3rd-period meltdown, and more: 3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs lost 7-4 to Colorado Avalanche

The Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 4-2 lead to drop a 7-4 decision against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night at Ball Arena. Valeri Nichushkin registered his first career hat trick with Nathan Mackinnon hitting the century mark in points this season.

Mitch Marner scored twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with John Tavares adding two of his own, one on the power play. Meanwhile, Nichushkin scored three times for the Colorado Avalanche, with MacKinnon adding two. Jonathan Drouin and Joel Kiviranta had the others for Colorado.

So, here’s a look at the three key reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs lost to Colorado Avalanche

#3 Depth scoring failed to step up

The Toronto Maple Leafs' top scorers got in on the action with Mitch Marner and John Tavares notching two goals apiece. Team captain Auston Matthews and William Nylander got two assists each. However, the depth failed to get anything going against a Colorado team that adjusted very well as the game wore on.

The Avalanche were outplayed at times in the first period but found their footing in the second. It was in the third period that the Avs took over, essentially negating the Leafs’ depth scoring from emerging. Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg had a couple of looks in the third but failed to score.

In the end, the lack of depth scoring came back to bite the Leafs as they ended up losing a high-scoring game.

#2 Stolarz shaky

Anthony Stolarz had an uncharacteristic game in which he surrendered five goals. While he made several key saves throughout the night, he didn’t look quite as sharp in the first period, giving up two goals in the first six minutes.

While Stolarz settled down, he gave up three goals down the stretch, allowing the Avalanche to take control of the game. In particular, MacKinnon’s power play goal in the third was a tough one for Stolarz. As the Avs moved the puck, Stolarz turned to look for the puck. However, Stolarz lost the puck, and couldn’t react in time when the pass hit MacKinnon’s stick.

Here’s a look at the goal:

By the time Stolarz reacted, it was too late. It’s worth pointing out that MacKinnon made a great play on Simon Benoit, undressing him with a tremendous move that bought him enough time to beat Stolarz on the glove side.

#1 Third-period meltdown

When the dust settled, the Leafs gave up four goals in the third period. While two of those goals were empty-netters, the Leafs' uncharacteristic meltdown allowed the Avalanche to turn the tables, transforming a 4-3 deficit after 40 minutes into a 7-4 win.

The Avalanche deserve credit for clawing their way back into the game. However, the Leafs could not hold the Avalanche back, with MacKinnon’s power play goal, the game-winner, becoming the back-breaker.

The Leafs will be back on the ice on Monday night as they visit the Utah Hockey Club for the club’s first game ever at the Delta Center.