NHL analyst reveals reason behind Mitch Marner's postseason struggles
Mitch Marner has received the brunt of the blame for the Toronto Maple Leafs falling into a 3-1 hole against the Boston Bruins in their first round series and deserves it. The $11 million 26 year-old has just two points in four games and had a forgettable performance in their 3-1 Game 4 defeat.
He was promptly ripped by former players analysts and fans alike.
It's no doubt Marner is frustrated by his poor play and displayed emotion on the bench.
Yet as former Toronto Marlies video coach Jack Han points out, this shouldn't come as a surprise considering the way Marner plays.
For every hour Marner is on the ice in the postseason, his team is only scoring 0.6 goals more than the opposition.
In the video Han broke down Marner's struggles.
One thing you see from Marner is that when he gets the puck, he likes to have it in front of him. But when you're playing against better teams and more structured defenses, it exposes the puck. The fact he has it way in front of him he has to bring the puck back from out front to his right foot or hip pocket. It's a split second but the time it takes to bring it back, allows the Boston defense to pressure him. Marner has to sacrifice himself to advance the puck to a teammate but it creates a problem. He has difficulty creating space because he has to worry about a defenseman going stick on puck, forcing him to lay the puck in and forecheck. Marner works really hard but he's not the best forechecker.
Han compared him to William Nylander who he said plays like it's the regular season.
We see a lot more individual rushes by Nylander because he's a little bit better protecting the puck and getting it behind him. It's a matter of where you set up the puck that really dictates how much success you have.
If we see Marner chipping pucks in, it'll make things low-event. Yet him being conservative isn't what makes him a great player or a lucrative one. If the Leafs are going to have any chance to right the ship before it's too late, they need Marner Magic to make an appearance.
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28 AVRIL | 683 ANSWERS NHL analyst reveals reason behind Mitch Marner's postseason struggles Are you confident Mitch Marner will«Show up» in game 5? | ||
| Yes | 237 | 34.7 % |
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