The Toronto Maple Leafs, led by Auston Matthews, have stumbled out of the gate this season. Despite opening with a 5-2 victory, the franchise has failed to build momentum and has already dropped four games. On Friday night, they suffered another defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.
Toronto needed a win on Friday to improve their 3-3-1 record. However, the Maple Leafs fell 5-3 to Buffalo, showing both their scoring chances and ongoing defensive issues.
While the Maple Leafs absorbed their third consecutive loss, they also took a significant hit to their forward group. Midway through the contest, key winger William Nylander left the ice with an injury, prompting captain Matthews to address the situation: “I mean, it’s never ideal when you lose guys to injury, especially key guys.”
He added: “And so, we got guys coming in that haven’t really played or are coming up with very short notice. So in the end, it’s, you know, guys have to pick each other up and encourage each other and do what you can and fill those spots and fill those roles.”
Maple Leafs captain on team chemistry
Matthews emphasized that the team is still trying to develop chemistry: “I definitely think we’re still kind of trying to find our game. But like I said, when we compete and play hard like we did tonight, I think we’re going to be happy that out of most of the nights, you just have to stick with it.”
The captain acknowledged Toronto’s struggles to protect early advantages but highlighted the team’s commitment to improvement: “We’re not going to hang our heads in here; we’re going to continue to pick each other up. We focus on that process that we had for most of the game tonight and clean up some of the little things that make a big difference in 60 minutes. But you’ll get back to work.”
Maple Leafs still searching for identity
Matthews also discussed the team’s inconsistent play while expressing optimism about their trajectory: “Yeah, definitely, I thought we had good looks there towards the end and going to third. I think there was confidence in our room that if we just get one, we’re going to have an opportunity to get another, and we definitely had our opportunity. So sometimes that’s how the game goes.”
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While Matthews leads Toronto with five goals this NHL season, Nylander tops the team with 11 assists. Coach Craig Berube noted that Nylander’s availability for Saturday’s rematch against Buffalo remains uncertain, keeping fans on edge for updates.