Auston Matthews didn’t sugarcoat the state of the Maple Leafs after Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. With Toronto stuck in a three-game skid, the captain said the group has to demand more from itself while dealing with a roster that’s been hit hard by injuries.
Toronto never found its footing offensively, finishing with just 23 shots as Connor Hellebuyck turned them all aside for his first shutout with New Jersey. The Devils dictated the pace and kept rolling, picking up their ninth win in their last 10 NHL games.
Matthews pointed directly at the need for more from the players still in the lineup.
“ We’re banged up. Guys gotta look in the mirror and ask a little bit more of themselves and take on a little bit more,” Matthews said.
He also said he wants the rough stretch to pull the team closer together rather than push it further off course.
“What we do with this, you know, I hope it’s something that can kind of propel us forward and bring us a little bit closer together,” he added.
Head coach Jim Hiller echoed that message, making it clear he expects the response to come from the entire roster, starting with the team’s leaders.
“ Our key leaders have to make sure their game is up to par, and we’ve all got to do it together,” Hiller said. “There’s just no other way. You have to fight for one another.”
The loss dropped Toronto to 8-9-2, and the numbers around the skid are getting uglier by the day. The Maple Leafs have now lost five of their last six in regulation, leaving them searching for answers early in the season.
“It’s a long season, and it’s a hard stretch for us, no question,” Hiller said. “We’re playing good teams, but that’s the NHL.”
With injuries opening the door for players who haven’t had much NHL responsibility, Hiller said those chances have to be seized.
“Some guys are getting more opportunity than they’ve ever had, and they’ve got to take advantage.”
Toronto’s next chance to stop the slide comes Tuesday against Colorado, and Matthews’ postgame message made the urgency plain: this group needs a stronger collective effort, and fast.
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