3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 5-2 loss to New Jersey Devils ft. Jake McCabe

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 5-2 decision to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs blew an early lead during a disastrous second period that saw the Devils open a 4-2 lead.

Matias Maccelli got his first goal as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. John Tavares added the other. Meanwhile, Jack Hughes notched a hat trick for the Devils, with Cody Glass (PPG) and Brenden Dillon getting the others.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from their loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from loss to New Jersey Devils

#3 Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain went pointless once again despite hitting the ice for nearly 22 minutes across 22 shifts. While he managed three shots on goal, he was unable to generate much offense.

Plus, his usually solid defensive play did not shine through in the game. He ended the night a minus-2.

The Leafs will be expecting Matthews to pick up the slack moving forward, as the team has now fallen into an early-season slump.

#2 Nick Robertson

Nick Robertson is another player who has continued to fall off Craig Berube’s radar. On Tuesday night, he hit the ice for less than 10 minutes. That situation has practically pushed Robertson out of the lineup, despite lining up on the team’s third line.

While Robertson managed two shots on goal, he was a minus-1 and did not provide much in the way of offense or defense. With Steven Lorentz returning to the lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs could basically see Robertson hit the press box sooner rather than later.

#1 Jake McCabe

The Toronto Maple Leafs' usually reliable shutdown defenseman lacked the sort of solid defensive play he’s been known for on Tuesday night.

McCabe ended the night a minus-2, with some questionable plays on his part leading to goals by the Devils.

Here’s a look at one such play:

The play shows McCabe moving around the ice without picking anyone up or doing much to impede the shot from coming. The open space allowed the Devils to tie the game.

Here’s another play:

This goal came on the power play after the Maple Leafs failed to win a coach’s challenge. McCabe can be seen flailing in front of the net, unable to corral the puck or stop the offensive player from popping the puck in the back of the net.

These two examples are plays that cannot continue happening if the Maple Leafs are to be a playoff contender this season.

The Maple Leafs will have a chance to get back in the win column on Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan