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 defenceman Morgan Rielly knew he could be a better offensive player.
In his final season with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, Rielly collected 12 goals and 42 assists. His 54 points during the 2012-13 season were fifth-best among defenceman in the league third-best on his team. However, his flair for offence had not translated at the professional level.
Until now.
Heading into Thursday’s game, Rielly had five goals and 26 assists in 46 games. His 31 points are just five shy of his career-high set during the 2015-16 season over a full 82-game schedule.
“I think it’s just confidence,” Rielly said at practice this week. “I worked on some things in the off-season, but it was also about being really motivated over the summer to be better.”
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Last April, the Leafs’ season ended with a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Washington Capitals. Toronto had caught teams by surprise, given they were among the youngest teams in the league and had just come off a season in which they finished last (29-42-11, 69 pts).
Rielly, having just completed his fourth season with the Leafs, anticipated that he would have to improve his game. Recording more points was one area where he could show improvement.
“I wasn’t all that happy with the offensive aspect of my game last year. I had more to give,” Rielly said.
This past summer, Rielly incorporated more skating into his off-season training. He also used the services of Leafs skills consultant Darryl Belfry, who has become the pre-eminent skills coach around the league. He has worked with some of the best NHL players, including Sidney Crosby, John Tavares and Patrick Kane.
Unlike traditional skill development, Belfry reviews tape of players and pinpoints movement inefficiencies that once corrected, show improvement with immediate results.
“When I created my system, I wanted to develop it in a way that can make a large impact on the player immediately,” Belfry said in a 2014 interview. “I found myself doing more analyzing of the athlete to see what is it specifically that he needs, what is the next level?”
In Rielly’s case, there were tweaks to his positioning that have led to more point production. While in the opponent’s zone, Rielly has seen tendencies of players and responded by staying closer to the boards resulting in more wins during puck battles.
“We’re talking a lot, and it’s good to have a voice up there help you out,” Rielly said of Belfry.
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Other factors have contributed to Rielly’s success offensively. Twelve of his 31 points have come on the power play. He leads the team in average ice time with the man advantage at 2:20 per game. Last season, Rielly averaged just 0:58 of power-play time per game and recorded five points with the extra man.
When Rielly was selected fifth overall by the Leafs at the 2012 draft, they hoped that he could one day become the team’s No. 1 defenceman. Rielly has seen different coaches and general managers come and go since then, but the vision for him has never wavered.
This summer, when Toronto made changes to their roster, the defence was left mostly intact, with the exception of signing veteran defenceman Ron Hainsey to a two-year, $6-million contract. It was the biggest vote of confidence for Rielly that they believe he is their No. 1 defenceman.
“A lot of people look at guys like Drew Doughty (of the Los Angeles Kings) at 18 years old and think that’s how you become a No. 1 defenceman, but for every one of those, there are a bunch who become No. 1 with a bit more time, and he’s doing that,” Hainsey said of Rielly.
Although Rielly has taken significant strides offensively, it’s the defensive side of his game that Toronto has come to depend on most. Given Toronto’s recent struggles to score — they had just 10 goals in January heading into Thursday’s game in Philadelphia — Rielly’s ability to shut down the best players is still his strength.
“We need Mo not only to be good offensively but to be a good lockdown guy for us, playing against the best people and be a good star for us,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “He’s an important guy on our team and has to keep going.”
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
