The Toronto Maple Leafs are going through an extreme rough patch. They have not won a game since the team returned from the NHL's Olympic break. Although Auston Matthews found success overseas with Team USA, at the club level, things are not going well heading into Monday night's tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers on Prime Monday Night Hockey.
Case in point can be seen from Toronto's loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The team did get off to a better start than they had in recent games. In the end, though, the Maple Leafs fell flat. The Senators won 5-2, and Toronto's playoff hopes took a major hit. After the game, Matthews called out what he considered to be an “embarrassing” trend.
“I thought we started better. We just kind of lost it there. Just really disconnected throughout all three zones,” Matthews said, via Sportsnet's Sonny Sachdeva. “Just bad. Just fairly embarrassing, to be honest with you. We need to have more pride in our play, no matter where we’re at, no matter what the situation is.”
Defenseman Jake McCabe also didn't mince words after the defeat.
“A good first five minutes, I thought. We get the first goal, which we’ve been searching for. And then s**t the bed after that.”
The Maple Leafs have fallen to 27-24-9 on the season with their loss. They are now tied in points with the Florida Panthers for last place in the Atlantic Division. Additionally, they are eight points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Maple Leafs have to find some sort of spark before the NHL trade deadline. How the Maple Leafs perform against the Flyers on Monday could determine how they operate at Friday's deadline.
Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Stream Prime Monday Night Hockey exclusively on Prime Video and experience thrilling goals and dramatic plays from the NHL. Monday nights are hockey nights — don’t miss a moment of the action. Prime Monday Night Hockey streams all national regular-season Monday night NHL games on Prime Video in Canada. The series is available free to Prime members in Canada.
