With their playoff hopes fading, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be out to end a three-game losing streak Monday night against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
The Maple Leafs have dropped all three games since returning from the Olympic break and they have seldom looked worse than Saturday in their 5-2 home loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Flyers, meanwhile, have won two of three since the break after a 3-1 home victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
The Flyers and Maple Leafs both lurk outside of a playoff spot, but Philadelphia is now two points ahead of Toronto.
The Maple Leafs have won both games between the teams this season, but they will need a better effort than Saturday’s, which left the home crowd booing.
Despite scoring first early in the opening period, the Maple Leafs were outplayed by the faster, more energetic Senators.
“When I look at the game and show tape, we go over things, there’s a certain way we need to play the game,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “But I can’t give guys this (pointing to his heart) or this (pointing to his head). That’s on them. They have to come with that. They’ve got to bring heart and the competitiveness that’s needed. It’s all the little things. We can bring the X’s and O’s. I can go in there and yell and scream at them all I want. That’s not going to do anything, either.”
“We have to have more pride in our play,” Toronto captain Auston Matthews said. “We have to play for one another no matter what. Just bad, just fairly embarrassing, to be honest with you.”
Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll allowed five goals before being replaced by Anthony Stolarz in the second period.
The Maple Leafs were outshot 16-2 in the first period but somehow were tied 1-1. Ottawa had a 40-23 advantage in shots on goal for the game, pulling away behind a four-goal second period.
“There’s no reason for it,” said Morgan Rielly, who scored a goal. “We know what’s at stake. We talk about being desperate and coming out and playing with some urgency and being connected and executing. And then we don’t do it.”
The Flyers have won two in a row, including a 3-2 overtime road win over the New York Rangers on Thursday.
“We were better (Saturday),” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. “We adjusted a few things (defensively). … I felt over the break we had to change, and I saw some of those changes tonight. A little bit in the Rangers game. We’re not perfect yet, but there’s some certain things we’re going to tweak a little bit for this team. And I thought they did a better job.”
“We are a confident group,” said Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar, who made 26 saves vs. Boston. “We know we have it in us. We had it at the beginning of the year, and it kind of slipped away.”
The Flyers did not clinch the game against Boston until Sean Couturier scored an empty-net goal at 19:07 of the third period. It was his first goal in 32 games.
“I’ll take them any way I can,” he said. “It feels good. But most important, it’s the win. The wins are more important right now, and that’s all my focus. Even on that goal, I was still looking to give it to (Owen Tippett) if the guy steps up on me.”
