Maple Leafs' urgency ramps up after fourth straight loss

For the first time in more than a year, the Leafs have gone four games without a win. 

"This is where we got to figure it out," said forward Max Domi. "Gotta nip it in the bud pretty quick. You don't want to let this four game slide turn into five, turn into six, whatever it is, so stop it right now and it's going to take everyone in this room."

The last time the Leafs dropped four straight games was during a brutal swing through Las Vegas and California at the end of October last year. 

This latest skid has included two regulation losses at home, including a 6-4 setback to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The Sabres were playing on consecutive nights, but still outshot the Leafs 41-29. 

"We believe in one another and had a great practice today," Domi said following Sunday's workout. "Positive mindset and no one's feeling sorry for ourself in here, no one's pointing the finger. Everyone's taking accountability."

Toronto will host another division rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Monday. 

What's the sense of urgency around the team? 

"Pretty urgent," said centre Auston Matthews, who recorded his third hat trick of the season on Saturday. "We haven't played up to our capability for a full 60 minutes and that's on us to figure that out."

After entering the season with championship aspirations, the Leafs find themselves fourth in the Atlantic Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 5-4-2 record. 

"Just need to be a lot better," said winger Mitch Marner, who had four points on Saturday. "Need to be way more competitive. Need to back up home ice a lot more. We just need to make sure we're the ones driving and not being passengers."

Toronto's .545 points percentage puts them 17th overall in the league standings entering Sunday's games. 

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Matthews leads the NHL with 11 goals while William Nylander is on an 11 game point streak. Marner and John Tavares are also averaging more than a point per game so far. But the Leafs aren't getting much offence from the rest of the forward group. It's been more than two weeks (six games) since a forward not named Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander scored an even-strength goal. 

"I am concerned for sure," Keefe admitted. "It is a lot of heavy lifting for our top guys right now."

On Sunday, the coach made changes. Matthew Knies, who has scored in just one game this season, moved up to the top line with Matthews and Marner. 

"It's a privilege to play with those two," Knies said. "I'm excited about it. I'm really happy to be there and I'm just going to help them as much as I can." 

Matthews and Marner have combined to score Toronto's last six goals. 

Calle Jarnkrok, who had been on the top line, dropped down to the third unit with Domi and Pontus Holmberg. Domi, who hasn't scored yet, moved to centre with Holmberg shifting to the wing. David Kampf returned to the fourth line, which is where he started the season, with Noah Gregor and Ryan Reaves. The second line, with Tavares between Tyler Bertuzzi and Nylander, remained in tact. 

"We are obviously looking to get more from our entire group throughout the lineup," Keefe said. "The timing is right here with us having a practice day."

After a flat performance on Tuesday in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the team decided to cancel Wednesday's practice to conserve energy ahead of Thursday's game in Boston. Friday was a day off for the team. 

"It has been a while since we have had an opportunity to really change some things and get some practice reps in," Keefe said following the team's first full practice since Monday (Oct. 30). "Between that and what has happened with our group of late, the timing is right to work on some different things."

Knies is the last forward outside the core four to score at even strength. He struck twice courtesy Domi assists during a comeback win in Tampa on Oct. 21. Knies and Domi had started every game together since then.

"I strung together a few games that were pretty good for me, but I have to keep that consistent every game," said Knies, who stands 6-foot-3, 217 pounds. "Every time I show up I want to be a dominant player and be a physical player and take it to the net and have some poise with the puck, but that's kind of been lacking in my game and I have to do that a little bit more often."

Knies made a strong first impression last season when he got into seven playoff games after signing out of the University of Minnesota. But he just turned 21 and is only 21 games into his NHL career.

"He is still adjusting to the league," Keefe noted. "He is still learning the league, the level of competition, the schedule, and the demands of the schedule. The rhythm of the NHL is far different than anything else. His experience in the playoffs was certainly a good way for him to kind of get a crash course on it, but it is still different when you are bouncing around from city to city. We had seven games in seven different cities during the stretch around the road trip. That in and of itself for young players is a lot to manage."

"It's all new to me," Knies said with a smile. "I thought every road trip was like that so I don't know. It's been a lot of fun. It's exciting. You know, I wake up every day and get to say, 'I play in the NHL,' it's pretty awesome."

Knies played with Matthews briefly in the playoffs. In fact, Matthews assisted on his first NHL goal, which came in the second round series against the Florida Panthers. The pair of Arizona natives also worked out together in the summer and have some built-in chemistry. 

"We both skate well and [get] in on the forecheck," Knies said. "I think we have a lot of tenacity and I think he has a lot of playmaking ability and I just kind of find myself around the net a lot of time so I think that works well."  

Knies made a nice play to set up a Matthews chance on Saturday. It led to a penalty on the Sabres. 

Knies has just one assist and two shots on net in the last six games. 

"He is adjusting to both the lifestyle and the game itself," Keefe said. "He has still shown great glimpses of what he is capable of. We saw it in Tampa. Even within each game, he has good moments. We are just looking for it to come together and fall into place in terms of his offensive game and the finer details that come with it all."

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Domi played centre much of last season when he produced 56 points in 80 games split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. He also generated 13 points in 19 playoff games with the Stars. He has just four assists through 11 games with the Leafs. 

"Just staying with it," Domi said of his mindset. "Keep chipping away at that rock, eventually it's going to break. So, that's kind of where we're at." 

Any frustration?

"Hey, if you're getting frustrated 10 games in because you haven't done X or Y or Z, you probably shouldn't be in the NHL," he countered. 

Domi started the season on the second line with Tavares and Nylander, but was moved down the lineup after going minus-three in the first two games. He feels like he's tightened up since then. 

"Definitely not going to change some of the adjustments defensively," he said. "I think we've cleaned that up quite a bit, so while doing that, finding a way to contribute offensively is the trick. Just got to stay with it."

Keefe has used Domi as a centre at times during games mostly at the end of power plays and penalty kills, but Sunday was his first full practice in that spot. 

"A lot more speed up the middle," the 28-year-old noted. "So hopefully that will help carryover into some offensive upside, but still got to be aware in the D-zone and tracking and whatnot."

Domi has gone six straight games without a point. 

"[Domi] getting the puck in the middle of the ice can help push that line," Keefe said. "Having a little more offensive push to the line itself and getting him unlocked as an offensive driver for the group is an important thing for us. It is really about that."

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The fourth line hasn't gotten on the board since Gregor scored in the first game. Reaves has yet to pick up a point. Ditto for Holmberg, who has played seven games since being called up from the American Hockey League. 

The fourth line was on the ice for a pair of Sabres goals on Saturday. 

"If you were to break it down and watch all of the goals individually, there is some happenstance in there," Keefe said. 

The first one was the result of a poor read by new defenceman Max Lajoie, who was called up from the AHL on Saturday. 

"We are on the attack, deep in their zone, and one of their most dangerous scorers [Jeff Skinner] is hanging out in behind us," Keefe said. "To me, that is not on the forwards in that case or the fourth line."

As for the second goal, which ended up being the game winner? 

"It is a sequence that starts when Knies turns the puck over in the neutral zone," Keefe said. "We can't get a full line change. Knies himself can't get off the ice and is caught out there tired. Now, we ice the puck and they get the matchup they want [with their top line] coming over. They shoot the puck, and it goes in off a guy in front of the net."

Gregor actually led the team in CorsiFor percentage on Saturday, per NaturalStatTrick.com. And Gregor is now fourth on the team in shots (27) this season. 

"I thought that group, whether I used Holmberg or Kampf with them — and I moved them around a little bit — did a really great job for us in the early going," Keefe said. "They had some positive momentum. It was good to see."

Still, the fact remains the Leafs have been outscored 8-0 with Reaves on the ice this season. 

"Unfortunately, it just seems that the puck is going in on them when they are out there," Keefe said. "It is on me to continue to build their confidence, not get them down on themselves because of this happenstance stuff, and continue to work through their process."

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Lajoie was benched after the Skinner goal and played less than five minutes in his season debut with the Leafs. 

"You have to use a sixth guy more for sure, except it is hard to do that when you put him on the ice and you give up a breakaway," Keefe said. "The coach [assistant Mike Van Ryn] is running the [defensive] bench and you have to earn trust when you come up, right? That is part of it."

It was the fourth time in the last five games that the Leafs went with a five-man rotation on defence. The other times were the result of injuries. Jake McCabe left a game in Dallas on Oct. 26 after pulling his groin on his first shift. Two nights later Timothy Liljegren left a game in Nashville in the second period with an upper body injury. Liljegren ended up being OK, but then sustained a high ankle sprain after being tripped into the boards by Brad Marchand in the first period on Thursday in Boston.  

Morgan Rielly is averaging 26 minutes and 56 seconds of ice time in the last five games. T.J. Brodie is at 23 minutes and 47 seconds. Mark Giordano, who is the oldest player in the NHL, is at 20 minutes and 39 seconds while John Klingberg is logging 22 minutes and 21 seconds. 

"We have handled it pretty well," Keefe said. "It may have caught up to us ... In the third period, partially because of the way the game was going to this point, it was the most exhausted I've seen a core of defencemen in my time in this league. We really just couldn't get going. Couldn't skate. Couldn't make a pass. It was just too much for our D."

Klingberg, who played a season high 25 minutes and four seconds against the Sabres, insists he didn't feel any unusual fatigue. 

"You want to be out there," the 31-year-old stressed. "You want to be playing as much as possible and, if you ask any player, that's how it goes. Yeah, I wouldn't say you're tired." 

Giordano agreed. 

"Everyone wants to play more so now it's an opportunity for all of us to show what we got," the 40-year-old said. "It's more about, collectively as a group, locking things down and focusing on keeping pucks out of our net, I think."

The Leafs kept Giordano off the ice on Sunday. Keefe termed it a "recovery day."

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McCabe skated alongside Klingberg in his first full practice since getting hurt. 

"McCabe got through practice today without hesitation, but with his type of injury, it will be all about how he responds and feels tomorrow," said Keefe.
"I don't suspect we will know about him until the morning or closer to the game just to make sure that everything looks good and he is responding well. It is a very encouraging sign to have him out there today."

McCabe noted it's the first time he's suffered a groin injury in his career. 

"Injuries are tough, they're part of this game," he said. "You got to deal with them when they come and you got to be smart about them when they come. It's tough to lose Lily and, trust me, I'm chomping at the bit to get back."

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Klingberg, who's known as an offensive defenceman, has only landed seven shots on net in 5-on-5 play so far. How can he get more shots through? 

"Making decisions quicker and distributing the puck quicker at the same time," Keefe said. "It is not always about the shots. Sometimes, when you move it quicker, you will end up getting it back and there is a little more real estate to get it through. Some room opens up. It is just kind of finding the balance and finding his rhythm with the group."

Klingberg, who quarterbacks the top power play unit, has just five assists so far and has gone five games without a point. He had a meeting with assistant coach Mike Van Ryn, who oversees the defence, on Sunday to talk about things. 

"I want to get more shot attempts," Klingberg said. "I want to get more involved offensively. But, at the same time, like, what I struggled with before is trying to do too much and chase the game ... I have to be wise with when I'm taking the shots, not have them blocked, get more involved in the O-zone with give and goes and stuff like that. I think it will come, it's just a matter of getting more comfortable with it and getting to see the different situations where you can do it and read off the other people on the ice as well." 

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Special advisor to the general manager Shane Doan has been helping out during pre-practice goalie sessions by taking shots on Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll. 

"He still remembers how to play hockey," said Samsonov with a smile. "He shoots so hard. Sometimes we [get] angry with him, because he's shooting so hard. It's not like a warm-up, it's like a real game. He's a good guy, so funny, and helping us all the time. A couple funny words and you get some smiles. He's a nice guy. I like him."

Doan scored 402 goals in 1,540 NHL games before retiring following the 2016-17 season. The 48-year-old presents a greater challenge than goalie coach Curtis Sanford. 

"Just remember he's a goalie," Samsonov said. "Goalie is never shooting hard. We need extra shooters, but we don't have right now, but it's OK. Thank you Doany, he has time for us." 

The cap-strapped Leafs haven't carried extra skaters (healthy scratches) for much of the season. 

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Lines at Sunday's practice: 

F

Knies - Matthews - Marner 
Bertuzzi- Tavares - Nylander 
Holmberg - Domi - Jarnkrok 
Gregor - Kampf - Reaves 

D

Rielly - Brodie 
McCabe - Klingberg 
Lagesson - Benoit / Lajoie 

G

Samsonov 
Woll