The Maple Leafs Have a Concerning Problem That Craig Berube Needs to Address

Fresh off of a thrilling 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, the Maple Leafs are back atop the Atlantic Division with 42 points, dead even with the Florida Panthers, albeit with a game in hand.

If the Leafs want to remain in first place in the Atlantic Division, however, they'll have to address a pretty concerning problem that has become a trend over the last 3 games. The Leafs have been outshot 41-11 in the first period over that stretch.

Granted, all that really matters is the final score, but the Leafs are going to dig themselves more holes than they'll be able to dig themselves out of if they continue the way they're going.

Not starting on time has been one of the Leafs' worst habits over the past several seasons, dating back to perhaps even before Sheldon Keefe's nearly 5-year run as head coach in Toronto. It seems as though some of those bad habits are continuing under Craig Berube, who was hired as Keefe's successor after another early post-season exit.

Obviously, with the coaching staff having completely changed, we can no longer blame the decisions behind the bench. Sooner or later, we have to hand the mirror to the guys on the ice, on the bench and in the locker room. The players are the ones to blame for not starting games on time and only the players themselves can rectify this by doing the work.

With the latest news regarding goaltender Anthony Stolarz missing the next several weeks with a lower-body injury as he recovers from surgery, the Leafs need to do a better job of protecting their net and breaking the puck out cleanly to avoid overworking their goalies and risking additional injuries in the crease. That should be priority number one for this team and this coaching staff.

The Leafs have a busy schedule coming up with 3 games in 4 nights heading into the holidays and then 3 games in 5 nights coming out of the break. Let's hope they can figure out their first period issues in the coming days to avoid falling behind early in games and stop giving up the momentum at the very start of the games.

In a very tight Atlantic Division, deciding first place may very well come down to a single game. The Leafs would be wise to sort out thsse issues before it costs them a golden opportunity to net themselves an easier path to the second round and beyond come the playoffs.