PHILADELPHIA – My goodness the Toronto Maple Leafs have needed this.
Strong words, tough talk, something – anything – to snap them to attention. A little fire from an unlikely place.
They have kind of been cruising through this season of heightened expectations, playing well enough to sit comfortably in a playoff spot but a few notches below their potential. There’s been no urgency, and perhaps a little complacency, and after yet another blown third-period lead and a fourth straight loss, Frederik Andersen had finally seen enough.
“We’ve got to regroup,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out who wants to commit to playing for the team.”
That was just how the soft-spoken goaltender started his scrum with reporters following Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. His words grew stronger from there.
What irked him most was how they’d taken a well-earned 2-0 lead at the second intermission and somehow turned it into a 2-2 tie within minutes. First Mitch Marner was stripped of the puck at the side of his own net for a Nolan Patrick goal, then Toronto’s ice-cold No. 1 power-play unit allowed Wayne Simmonds to get in on a short-handed 2-on-1 rush with Valtteri Filppula.
The way that second goal materialized left the Andersen fuming. His teammates turned the puck over in the high slot at the other end of the ice and didn’t have any numbers back in support.
“Yeah [I was frustrated],” said the Dane. “I think a lot of guys on the bench, too, are pretty frustrated not being on the power play and seeing that kind of effort. I think we’ve got to look each other in the eyes here and determine where we want to go from here.”
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There was clearly an implication that not everyone is showing the same level of commitment here. Without naming names, he was pointing a finger at teammates.
No one is in a better position to do so given how Andersen has taken his game to another level this season – posting a .922 save percentage despite facing nearly 100 more shots than any other goaltender in the NHL.
Had he given them just average goaltending this season, there’s no way the Leafs would be sitting with a 25-17-5 record right now and a 12-point cushion for third place in the Atlantic Division.
“He’s been the backbone for us,” said teammate Nazem Kadri, when told of Andersen’s post-game comments. “I don’t think anyone wants to go into the third period up a couple goals and lose. I can understand his frustration, but we’re all in the same boat.”
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The last stretch of games has been particularly tough on the guy manning the crease.
Andersen was less than five minutes from registering a shutout against Columbus on Jan. 8 – only to see the Blue Jackets score two late goals and hand Toronto a 3-2 overtime loss. Two nights later, he gave up the losing goal to Ottawa with three minutes left in regulation after teammate Morgan Rielly made an ill-advised pinch to allow an odd-man rush.
Next up came Tuesday’s game against St. Louis, where he held the Blues off the scoreboard for 59 minutes and then had the defensive coverage break down in front of him during a 5-on-6 situation. He had no chance on the tying goal and the Leafs lost in overtime.
Then they arrived in Philadelphia and did it all again.
“You do it a second time and now, suddenly, it gets in your head,” said coach Mike Babcock. “There’s no reason to let things get to your head. We’re going through a spell where we’re not as good as we can be, let’s find a way to dig out. That’s what we’ve got to do tomorrow.
“We’ve got to get our head right and compete.”
It’s one thing when those comments come from the coach and quite another when they’re made by a guy you’re battling beside.
The Leafs are a team without a captain and, quite frankly, haven’t really needed one these last few seasons. But the stakes are a little different in 2017-18 than they’ve been before and something needed to be said during this swoon.
Andersen was unequivocal in his assessment of where they’re at. It all comes down to a lack of execution and mental errors in his mind. The sort of thing that can be corrected through self-reflection and stronger focus.
“I don’t think we’re tired,” he said. “I think it’s lack of effort at certain points and it can’t happen. We’ve got to figure this out if we want to play any meaningful hockey later. We’ve got to figure it out.”
There should be an interesting atmosphere when they take the ice for practice in Ottawa on Friday afternoon. They need to change something with 35 regular-season games still to play.
“We’re sitting pretty good,” said Andersen. “I think we’ve got it pretty comfortable. There can’t be any reason for not playing the right way because we’ve got to be ready when it comes to past the all-star break here.
“It’s going to be a lot tougher for everyone, [with] teams trying to catch us and we can’t stop at this.”
On Saturday night we’ll find out who was listening to him.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen didn’t mince his words after his team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday.
Holding a 2-0 advantage after two periods, Toronto couldn’t seal the deal in what has become an all-too familiar pattern for the club during a four-game slide. Fed up with losing, Andersen wasn’t afraid to call out his club post-game.
“We’ve got to figure out who wants to commit to playing for the team,” Andersen told reporters. “We have to come with a different attitude. We played well enough for two periods and we’ve got to find a way to keep the foot on the gas the whole game.”
The Leafs are firmly entrenched in the NHL playoff picture, sitting comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division, but Andersen thinks it’s time they take a hard look in the mirror and nip their problems in the bud.
“We’ve got to look at each other in the eyes here and determine where we want to go from here. I don’t think we’re tired; I think it’s lack of effort at certain points and that’s something that can’t happen,” Andersen said. “We’ve got to figure this out if we want to play any meaningful hockey later.
“We’re sitting pretty good, but there can’t be any reason for not playing the right way.”
Toronto hasn’t earned a regulation victory since Dec. 28 against the lowly Arizona Coyotes and its next chance to get back in the win column will come Saturday in a road game against the Ottawa Senators.
Travis Konecny carried the puck into the Maple Leafs zone and passed across to Couturier, who scored his 26th of the season.
PHILADELPHIA -- Sean Couturier scored 18 seconds into overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
"Lately, it seems like every time I shoot the puck it seems to find the back of the net," said Couturier, who has 11 goals in his past 12 games. "That's what I'm trying to do, keep shooting the puck every time I can get it off, get it on net and try to get a goal, and things are going my way."
[WATCH: All Maple Leafs vs. Flyers highlights]
Nolan Patrick and Wayne Simmonds scored in the third period for the Flyers (21-16-8), and Michal Neuvirth made 29 saves.
Video: TOR@PHI: Simmonds one-times Filppula's pass for SHG
It was Philadelphia's fourth straight home win and fifth in six games. The Flyers had a four-game winning streak end with a 5-1 loss at the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
Connor Brown and Frederik Gauthier scored for the Maple Leafs (25-17-5), and Frederik Andersen made 34 saves. It was Toronto's fourth straight loss (0-1-3), all by one goal.
"We've got to regroup, we've got to figure out who wants to commit to playing as a team," Andersen said. "... We've got to look at the attitude. We played well enough for two periods, but we've got to find a way to keep the foot on the gas the whole game. We can't be satisfied with two periods."
The Maple Leafs led 2-0 entering the third period, but the Flyers scored twice early in the period to tie the game. Toronto was 15-1-1 when leading entering the third, and Philadelphia was 1-12-2 when trailing.
Video: TOR@PHI: Gauthier puts loose puck past Neuvirth
"It's huge for us," Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "Coming off a loss like that (against the Rangers), going down 2-0 (against the Maple Leafs), it was huge for our team to get back and have a huge third period and finish it off in overtime."
Patrick started Philadelphia's rally when he stripped the puck from forward Mitchell Marner to the left of the Toronto net and beat Andersen to the far side at 1:33 to make it 2-1. It ended a 24-game goal drought for Patrick.
"Slumping for a while there," Patrick said. "I tried to forget how many games in a row and just play. Thought I've been playing good hockey lately."
Couturier said it was good to see Patrick get the goal that started the comeback.
"It was huge, especially early in the third," he said. "Gave us some wings, gave us a chance to get back in the game. Especially coming from him. Kind of got that monkey off his back. Nice to see him contribute ... especially lately, he's been working pretty hard, playing well. It's nice to see him rewarded like that."
Video: TOR@PHI: Neuvirth splits to make fantastic early save
Simmonds finished a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with Valtteri Filppula to tie it 2-2 at 3:25.
Brown made it 1-0 after Gostisbehere failed to hold the puck in the Maple Leafs zone. Brown broke in alone on Neuvirth and scored between the goaltender's legs at 12:57 of the second.
Gauthier's first of the season gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead. Jake Gardiner got the puck on left side of the Flyers zone and threw it into traffic in front of the net. The puck popped in the air, and Gauthier found it and scored at 13:25.
Goal of the game
Couturier's goal 18 seconds into overtime.
Video: TOR@PHI: Couturier slots home game-winner in overtime
Save of the game
Neuvirth stopping Patrick Marleau with his right pad with 2:48 left in the third period.
Video: TOR@PHI: Neuvirth stretches to rob Marleau
Highlight of the game
Patrick's goal 1:33 into the third period.
Video: TOR@PHI: Patrick steals puck and pots wraparound
They said it
"We got a game two days from now so we should all walk out of here feeling terrible, but we'll get through that. Let's get up in the morning, let's go to practice. We're in a great spot in the League, we like our team, so let's play the best we can." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock
"Our mindset is they can score two in a minute, why can't we? We had a full period to do it. It's a big comeback win for us." -- Flyers forward Nolan Patrick
Need to know
Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov played his 300th NHL game. ... Toronto's four-game losing streak is its longest since it lost five straight Feb. 23-March 3 (0-2-3). ... Simmonds has four goals and two assists during a six-game point streak. ... Prior to the game, the Flyers retired No. 88 to honor Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros, who played his first eight NHL seasons with the Flyers (1992-2000) and played for the Maple Leafs in 2005-06.
What's next
Maple Leafs: At the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, CITY, TVA Sports 2, NHL.TV)
Flyers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Video: Couturier scores in OT as Flyers rally past Leafs
PHILADELPHIA — Frederik Andersen issued a challenge late on Thursday night.
We’ll find out soon enough whether his Maple Leafs teammates listened to their goaltender.
An angry but matter-of-fact Andersen came out verbally swinging after the Leafs lost by a goal for the fourth consecutive game, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The loss at Wells Fargo Center came after the Leafs built a 2-0 lead in the second period, only to fritter it away in the third.
“We have to figure out who wants to commit to playing for the team,” Andersen said. “We’ve got to look at the attitude. We played well enough for two periods, but we’ve got to find a way to keep the foot on the gas the whole game. We can’t be satisfied with two periods.”
Goals by Nolan Patrick and Wayne Simmonds — the Simmonds goal was shorthanded — early in the third period tied the game after Connor Brown and Frederik Gauthier scored 28 seconds apart in the second period.
“I think a lot of guys on the bench too, (would be) pretty frustrated to not be on the power play and seeing that kind of effort (on the Simmonds goal, which came on an odd-man rush),” Andersen said.
“I think we have to look each other in the eyes and determine where we want to go from here.
“I don’t think we’re tired. I think it’s lack of effort at certain points and it can’t happen. We have to figure this out if we want to play any meaningful hockey later.”
On a night the Flyers honoured Eric Lindros with the retirement of his iconic No. 88, the Leafs, who next play in Ottawa on Saturday night, lost for the seventh time in nine games.
The winning goal at 18 seconds came off the stick of Sean Couturier, who snapped the puck past Andersen after a pass from Travis Konecny. Neither Jake Gardiner nor William Nylander looked sharp on the play.
With under three minutes remaining, Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth made a terrific save on Patrick Marleau.
The pre-game ceremony for Lindros pushed the start of the game back an hour, and the Leafs stayed in the dressing room, though the Toronto coaching staff watched from the bench. The Flyers players and coaching were present for the banner raising, watching and applauding as Lindros spoke at centre ice.
The feeling that the Leafs would go to the second intermission tied 0-0 for the second time in as many games was growing until Brown scored on a breakaway as his shot got through Neuvirth at 12:57 for a 1-0 Leafs lead, the chance coming after Shayne Gostisbehere overskated the puck.
It came as Brown was playing his first shift with Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman after coach Mike Babcock did some line juggling.
The move dropped Nylander to the fourth line with Frederik Gauthier and Matt Martin.
“I just didn’t like what was happening,” Babcock said. “I thought that (Matthews) line was getting dominated.
“I thought (Brown) was ultra-competitive and I thought he was helping us. I thought the Goat had a good game for us too. What we tried to do was get the players who were playing the hardest in the right spots to help us and that is what we did.”
Babcock said Morgan Rielly, who fell awkwardly near the end of the second period but returned, will be checked out on Friday and his health determined afterward.
Of the fourth loss in a row, Babcock said: “There is no reason to let things get in your head. We’re going through a spell where we are not as good as we can be. We should all walk out of here feeling terrible but we will get through that. We are in a great spot in the league, we like our team, let’s play the best we can.”
tkoshan@postmedia.com
