Toronto made just two changes to their lineup following a 4-0 loss to the Capitals on Thursday.
Seconds after Morgan Rielly exited the ice following an almost minute-long shift, the defenseman watched on as the Washington Capitals' Jakob Chychrun walked into the Toronto Maple Leafs' zone, whilst under no pressure, and roofed a shot against Dennis Hildeby.
That goal summed up the Maple Leafs' performance in a 4-0 loss on Thursday night. It lacked effort, commitment, and, most importantly, emotion. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was hoping for a spark all evening, but didn't get anything.
"A tough night for us all around," said Rielly after Toronto's practice on Friday, inside the same building where they had just been blown out 12 hours earlier.
If you were waiting to see whether the Maple Leafs would make any drastic changes following Thursday's effort, you'll have to wait longer. Toronto made two modifications to their lineup ahead of back-to-back games this weekend: Calle Jarnkrok in for Steven Lorentz; Philippe Myers in for Henry Thrun.
They're sticking with the number-one line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander, as well as the other two lines within the top nine. On defense, Myers will play with Rielly, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson will skate on the right of Simon Benoit.
"Right now, that's what I feel is best," head coach Craig Berube said. "I liked (John Tavares') line. I've liked the (Nicolas Roy, Bobby McMann, and Dakota Joshua) line for a while. So that's where we're at."
Toronto isn't necessarily in a horrible position, despite arguably their most effortless performance of the season against the Capitals. They're four points out of a playoff spot. And if there's a time to stack up points, it's right now.
"It's a challenge when you play last night, and you give an effort and a game that you're not proud of," said Rielly, describing the mood around the Maple Leafs. "I think it's important that you bounce back and you come with an attitude that, you're here to get better, we're here to improve.
"And, we're not happy with last night, but we're going to move on and build and get better and push and work. I mean, no one's feeling sorry for themselves. We're here to get better and to work and to improve off what we had last night because it's not good enough."
Time is ticking, though.
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If losses keep stacking up, changes will eventually need to be made. Nobody within the organization wants that. This is the time that Berube's message, of playing for each other amidst struggling junctures, should be in full effect.
"You don't want to let your teammates down, you don't want to let your coach down. I mean, you don't want to let anyone down," added Rielly.
"I think, at times, we all feel that, including the coaching staff, in different ways. So, depending on the night, depending on what's happening, there's lots of guys who can feel that in a lot of different ways."
The big word is belief. Do the Maple Leafs believe they can turn this around? Can they climb out of this hole and put themselves in a position to make the playoffs come April?
"I think it's a challenge, but it's extremely important to keep the belief and keep that mentality that we are able to play with anyone and win on any night," Rielly said.
"I don't think you can let one game or one stretch change that entirely, but there are times where everyone has to look in the mirror and give more. And that, I don't think is a question of belief, I think that's just digging in more."