Leaderboard

I don't pay much attention to the wording on the reports. For example: Exactly this.

I don't. I look at it to see if a player is comfortable in their role if they are struggling. Beyond that, it is interesting to look at. As for your team doing well defensively and losing by 3 goals, look at a few things. Did your goalie have a bad game? Alternately, do the game and player stats match up with that? Your team can still play well but be outdone by a few skilled players. Or the opposing team's special teams can get all of the goals effectively bypassing your team's D.