Toronto's captain hasn't had a point in his last two games, which are both losses to teams at the bottom of the NHL's standings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs produced a better performance on Saturday night, but departed the ice with yet another tick in the loss column, falling 5-3 to the Nashville Predators.
Toronto has now lost four of its last five games. Their power play is approaching rock bottom in the NHL. They're giving up close to the most shots per game in the entire league. And for the second time this season, the Maple Leafs are fighting to stay out of the Eastern Conference's basement.
Despite all of that, Toronto captain Auston Matthews still believes he and his teammates can swivel this boat around. More so now, following a more valiant effort against the Predators, who, like the Maple Leafs, though, are battling to get out of the basement of their conference.
"I mean, as s***ty as it is losing, I thought the process was better," Matthews said.
"I thought we had good energy all night. And even though you're leaving the rink upset, not getting out of any points in tonight's game, I mean, I think just the process that we had throughout is something that we can take and move forward with some of the good things that we did do and continue to channel that, and just be better throughout a full 60 minutes of doing those things."
The Maple Leafs had the lead just over halfway through the second period. Nicolas Roy scored early in the game, and after Erik Haula got on the board for Nashville early in the second period, John Tavares tipped Matias Maccelli's shot home to regain the lead.
It appeared as though Toronto, with a tinkered lineup, was headed for a victory.
Until the final minute of the second period.
Matthews gave up the puck near Nashville's blue line, allowing the Predators to come the other way. Joseph Woll attempted to clear the puck out of the zone as it rolled in on him, but instead gave it right to Ryan O'Reilly.
The former Maple Leafs forward fed Adam Wilsby the puck, and he, quite easily, beat Woll under the blocker to tie the game entering the second intermission.
"I thought that goal was avoidable," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said post-game.
"I would like to have that one back," added Matthews.
Midway through the third period, Morgan Rielly gets walked by Luke Evangelista, before the Nashville forward beats Woll to make it a 3-2 game.
That goal, too, Berube said, was "avoidable."
Toronto couldn't get anything else going. William Nylander was intercepted at the Predators' blue line with the net empty. Seconds later, Steven Stamkos skated down and placed the puck into the empty net, making it 4-2.
Too big of a mistake at that moment in the game.
Both Nylander and Matthews don't have a point in their last two games.
"It's never fun. You just got to mentally grind through it," added Toronto's captain. "It's one of those things that I've been through before. And you learn to deal with it. You learn to just kind of work harder to get yourself out of it."
After Bobby McMann rifled a shot past Juuse Saros to cut the lead to a goal with 54 seconds left, Nashville drew up a set play during a timeout and scored another empty-netter off the following face-off, leaving the Maple Leafs empty-handed for points on the first half of a back-to-back.
"I thought we had the puck more, made more plays that allowed our forwards to kind of come through the neutral ice a little bit more. I think when you're making adjustments kind of on the fly, it's not going to be perfect right away," Matthews said. "But I definitely think tonight there was much more positives than the previous couple games."
He's not wrong.
There were several positives to take from this game. Energy is one of them. However, a loss is a loss, and it's even more magnified at this juncture, whilst Toronto is battling to keep its playoff hopes alive.
It's still early, yes, and they'll continue to have a chance if their opposition also keeps stagnating. But even if the Maple Leafs had won their last two games, they'd still be one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic Division.
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It would, though, be an entirely different conversation than the one Leafs Nation is currently having.
Now, they sit six points out of a playoff spot. It's still attainable to catch up, but time is of the essence. And it won't get any easier as the Maple Leafs roll into Dallas to take on the second-place-in-the-NHL Stars on Sunday.
"I don't think the belief is being challenged," said Matthews.
"Obviously, when you go through rough stretches, it's never fun. And it can wear on you for sure. I think that's natural, trying to be mentally strong as a group, mentally strong as individuals to fight through that adversity and continue to pick each other up and have each other's back and make sure that the next game we continue to stick with that process and just be better."