3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 4-3 OT loss to LA Kings ft. William Nylander

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a tough-luck 4-3 decision to the LA Kings on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs, playing without captain Auston Matthews, had 2-0 and 3-2 leads before a late goal by the Kings tied the game in the third.

Quinton Byfield scored his fourth of the season to ice the win for the Kings, 35 seconds into overtime. Alex Laferriere, Kevin Fiala, and Warren Foegele had the others for the Kings. Meanwhile, John Tavares scored twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Bobby McMann getting the other goal for the Maple Leafs.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from their overtime loss to the LA Kings on Thursday night.

3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from OT loss to LA Kings

#3 Max Domi

Max Domi got a bump up the lineup on Thursday night amid Matthews’ absence. However, he failed to live up to expectations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Domi played 13:24 across 20 shifts on the night. He managed just one shot on goal. But it was his defensive shortcomings that proved costly for the Leafs.

Here’s a look at one such example, as shown on the Kings’ official X account:

The replay showed Domi losing the puck in a battle along the boards. While the Leafs recovered well enough, the Kings kept the pressure. Domi missed an opportunity to clear the puck, then got caught puck-watching as the Kings tied the game.

That goal set the game up for overtime, where the Kings took the extra point.

#2 Jake McCabe

Jake McCabe has picked up some of the slack in the absence of his defense partner, Chris Tanev. While McCabe played a decent overall game on Thursday night, his role in Byfield’s overtime goal was questionable.

Here’s a look:

McCabe was tasked with tracking Byfield in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ zone. However, McCabe got caught up directing traffic, missing Byfield’s movements on the ice. Byfield moved from one side to another, setting himself up for the one-timer that ended the game.

Goalie Dennis Hildeby tried his best to get across, but he had no chance to stop the shot. McCabe tried to block the shot but wasn’t even close.

#1 William Nylander

The Maple Leafs' most talented offensive player failed to live up at both ends of the ice. While he got an assist on the night, he didn’t drive the offense in the 21:44 of ice time he played.

But beyond his lack of offensive output, it was Nylander’s poor defensive play that made a huge difference. In addition to his botched coverage in overtime, Nylander showed a lazy effort on the Kings’ second goal of the game.

Here’s a look:

Nylander made a weak effort to intercept the pass, then wandered through the zone. He stood by as the Kings moved the puck around and got the game-tying goal in the second period.

The Leafs will be back on the ice on Saturday night as they visit the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan