Little breakdowns here and there have stung, like Scott Laughton’s inability to get a puck out shortly before Sam Bennett gave the Panthers a two-goal lead last week, or Auston Matthews and Jake McCabe’s failure to win puck battles along the wall before Tanev was beat for inside positioning before the Sens scored over the weekend.

At times this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been a very good hockey team. You don’t either occupy the top spot in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division or sit close to the top of the Atlantic if you’re not playing well for long stretches.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled then offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.