More Leafs woes: D Ekman-Larsson hurt in OT loss to Sharks

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The Maple Leafs are running out of defencemen.

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The 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night was difficult enough for the Leafs to digest, given that they had a 2-0 lead in the second period only for the visitors at Scotiabank Arena to tie the game late in the third period.

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Now there’s the possibility that the Leafs will have to get by for a while without Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who had to be helped off the ice in the third period after the Sharks’ Adam Gaudette fell on him.

Ekman-Larsson, the Leafs’ steadiest defenceman this season, suffered a lower-body injury and could not put any weight on his left leg as he departed.

Three takeaways from the game:

D CORPS HORROR

Ekman-Larsson will be evaluated on Friday, coach Craig Berube said.

The injury comes three nights after Dakota Mermis suffered a knee injury against Tampa Bay and will be out at least a month.

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Berube said a decision on the future of Chris Tanev, who has not played since Nov. 1 because of an upper-body injury, will be made in the next few days. That’s amid speculation Tanev might require surgery, though Berube said earlier Thursday that was not necessarily on the table.

And Berube acknowledged that Brandon Carlo (lower body) underwent surgery during the recent road trip. Carlo, who has been out since Nov. 13, was to be out for at least one month from the time of the surgery.

Henry Thrun was fine in his Leafs debut on Thursday, but the Leafs clearly will need more if Ekman-Larsson is out for an extended period. Marshall Rifai also is working his way back from injury.

To say that this is potentially bad news would be a rather large understatement.

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“Oh, he’s been great,” Berube said of Ekman-Larsson. “He will be missed. Hopefully it’s not too bad, but he’s played great hockey for us.”

Said captain Auston Matthews: “He’s a big part of our team, a big part of our back end, and guy that brings a lot of experience to our group. Definitely hoping for the best.”

The Leafs have Philippe Myers, who was a healthy scratch on Thursday, but also will have to likely recall a defenceman from the Toronto Marlies.

William Villeneuve is week to week with an illness, so the option could be to recall right-shooting Matt Benning. He has played in 464 NHL games with Edmonton, Nashville and San Jose.

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HABITS DIE HARD

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves and try to say that the Leafs have recovered from inferior play and are on their way.

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They’re not really close to that yet.

Yes, they had won four of their previous five games, but the Leafs didn’t have the mental strength to suppress the Sharks in the third period.

A better team would have been tidy in the final 20 minutes. We’re talking about a Toronto team that remains out of a playoff position, though it has moved to within two points of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

“Third period, we didn’t come out and dictate how to play the game,” Berube said. “Turned pucks over, passive, we didn’t finish them off.

“I still think we’re not where we need to be. We can be better. Third period, (Sharks) goalie out, we have an opportunity to get the puck out a couple times, we don’t do it. It’s things like that that cost us.”

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Matthews said “it could have gone either way,” and that’s the issue, isn’t it?

The Leafs couldn’t put away a Sharks team that is in a fight for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

After goals by Dakota Joshua in the first period and Matthews, on a power play in the second, put the Leafs up 2-0, the Sharks started to recover.

Dmitry Orlov beat Dennis Hildeby 59 seconds after Matthews’ goal and ex-Leaf John Klingberg scored with 1:25 remaining in the third with goalie Alex Nedeljkovic on the bench.

At 2:49 of overtime, Alex Wennberg scored the winner.

Among Dennis Hildeby’s best stops was a denial of Ty Dellandrea on a penalty shot in the first period. The Sharks forward got the free attempt at 11:46 after Morgan Rielly hooked him on a breakaway but couldn’t fool Hildeby, who made a glove save.

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POWER PLAY, FINALLY

The first thing that came to mind when William Nylander hit Matthews through a seam with a pass and the captain blasted a one-timer past Nedeljkovic: Where has that been all season?

The Leafs are capable of that kind of play on the power play more often.

“We were due for one,” Nylander said. “I feel like we haven’t scored one in a long time.

“We should be able to score way more on the power play. It was a confidence builder.”

Matthews, after just his second power-play goal of the season, had similar thoughts.

“We were moving it quicker, shooting pucks, and those pucks were getting through and creating good chances,” Matthews said. “It’s always nice to see one go in. I think it gives the power play a bit of a boost, and special teams a bit of a boost. We just want to continue to stay diligent on that.”

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It was the Leafs’ first power-play goal in five games and just their third since Nov. 11.

Nylander, playing on a line with Nicolas Roy and Joshua, had one of his better games in recent weeks and snapped a four-game pointless streak with two assists.

“He was engaged,” Berube said. “When I see him skating and handling the puck and keeping the puck and doing things he did tonight with the puck, I know he was ready to go.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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