Last night’s match-up against the Lightning was merely a reminder of the fact that the Leafs’ offense is no match for the offense of playoff-bound teams.

And that’s the problem. The Leafs are trying to play a game they are not built to play. The first 4 games of the season were not the rule. They were the exception.

Ron Wilson and the Leafs instead need to play a style according to the team Brian Burke has built thus far. Strong goaltending and defensive responsibility need to be the theme. So no more 2-1-2 High forechecking. No more unnecessary involvement of defensemen in rushes. No more excessive pinching. And especially, no more trading chances.

Instead, the Leafs need to switch gears to being overly conservative. Every decision made on the ice needs to err on the side of being safe. Opportunistic offensively. Proactively precautious defensively. Think Jacques Lemaire. It is a boring style of hockey, and the Leafs will play ugly games that will be terrible to watch. But it is the only way the Leafs can SUSTAIN winning this season.