The Toronto Maple Leafs once again failed to beat head coach Craig Berube’s former team.

The Leafs dominated the first period, and although they were rewarded with a 1-0 lead early in the first period, they easily could have scored two or three goals. The St. Louis Blues picked up their game again in the second round and the bounce went their way. Although Toronto appeared to be the better team, Pavel Buchnevich’s empty net gave the Blues a 4-2 win.

The Leafs were certainly expected to win, but despite the loss, the team’s overall grade is a respectable B.

Steven Lorentz and David Kämpf: A-

Lorentz went to the net and scored a huge goal to put the Leafs within 1 with six minutes left. Kämpf earned an assist and also made strong defensive saves to prevent a scoring opportunity midway through the second period. They haven’t shown much offensively lately, so it was nice to see they finally had a chance.

John Tavares: A-

Tavares hit the post in the first period and set up a high-quality power play opportunity for Max Domi with an excellent pass towards the end of the second period. He had another strong chance to score in the first period, but once again Jordan Binnington was up to the challenge. Tavares will eventually start racking up points if he continues to play well.

Conor Timmins: A-

Timmins received the first assist on Toronto’s opening goal when Mitch Marner blocked his point shot and collected the rebound. He continued to impress in the second, moving the puck around and making a few appearances in which the Leafs spent extended periods of time in the offensive zone.

Joseph Woll: A-

Woll got the start against his hometown team and stopped all four shots he faced in the first period. He did an excellent job of stopping Jordan Kyrou from tying the score early in the second period, but was soon beaten by a Colton Parayko point shot that he couldn’t see.

He had some bad luck in the second period when the Blues’ eighth shot deflected off Jake McCabe’s skate. Parayko beat him for a second time minutes later when another perfect point shot sent him through a screen. Even though his stats looked questionable, Woll stopped everything he could save. He opened the third game with two fine saves from Jake Neighbors and Dylan Holloway, but his team couldn’t find an equalizer.

Mitch Marner: B+

Marner opened the scoring after six minutes when he went to the net, blocked a shot from the point and buried the resulting rebound. He had four shots on goal in the first period alone and, despite a late penalty, was the best player on the ice. Unfortunately, like most of his teammates, he wasn’t quite as impressive after the first half.

Jake McCabe: B

McCabe battled Brayden Schenn in the opening minutes, and St. Louis’ second goal was deflected in off his skate. The Leafs dominated his minutes through expected goals, but unfortunately that just wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard.

Jake McCabe played a physical game. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The second line wingers (Max Pacioretty, William Nylander): B

Pacioretty had a good chance to score after 12 minutes, but otherwise he wasn’t a standout player. Nylander’s best play came late in the second on the power play, but like Pacioretty, he failed to get on the scoresheet. Her team dominated their minutes through expected goals, but Tavares was the best player on the line.

The first couple (Morgan Rielly–Oliver Ekman-Larsson): B

None of the players were overly noticeable. Rielly was a little more attacking, but Ekman-Larsson looked better based on expected goals. The Leafs tend to look dangerous offensively in their minutes, but on Saturday it felt like the forwards were the real catalysts.

Chris Tanev: B-

The Leafs played St. Louis early, but mostly when Tanev wasn’t on the ice. It’s not that he was terrible or anything, but he wasn’t a major driver of the team’s strong play.

Matthew Knies: B-

Knies stood out midway through the first period as he made a few nice passes to help Rielly and Marner have good scoring opportunities. He fired a one-timer at Binnington in the final minutes but couldn’t tie it. His line played pretty well, but he wasn’t as impressive as in previous games.

Auston Matthews: B-

Matthews had two good chances to score in the first half and his line was dominant. He was much quieter in the second period, but came to Marner’s defense in the third by overpowering Ryan Suter in a scrum. On the one hand, he will certainly score points if his line continues to create chances. On the other hand, he has a high level and just doesn’t score at his usual pace.

The third line (Bobby McMann–Max Domi–Pontus Holmberg): C

Domi is an offensively talented striker who is usually used on both sides of high-level ice hockey. However, his line has done the exact opposite as of late as the team continues to play boring hockey during his minutes. McMann’s best shift was his first shift when Holmberg put him in the slot, and Domi had the best chance on the power play. It’s nice to see this team playing reasonably well defensively, but against a non-playoff team you’d expect a little more offense.

Ryan Reaves: C

Reaves was involved in a Leafs goal for the first time this season, but unlike his linemates, he didn’t do much to score the goal. He only played 6:42.

Simon Benoît: C

He wasn’t looking for a goal for or against, which isn’t the worst thing you can say about a third-pair defender. However, he just doesn’t do much offensively. He still needs to bring a little more to the table.

Score

What’s next?

The Leafs travel to Minnesota to play the Wild on Sunday at 6 p.m. on Sportsnet.

(Top photo by Morgan Rielly: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)