"We know what we're capable of in this room, and we know the players and the depth that we have," centre Auston Matthews said Wednesday. "And we've got to put it together. Obviously, we're going through a bit of a lull right now, and it's our job to dig ourselves out and call back into playing the way we were earlier this season. That's up to us. Nobody else."
"We've been hit-and-miss since Christmas time, and we didn't feel our work ethic was up to a level to be proud of last game," added Leafs head coach Mike Babcock. "As a group, what makes that happen and what makes the group go, you don't always know. But if it's just changing some lines around, then we'll do that."
Indeed, Babcock did juggle his lines at practice: winger Zach Hyman was on a line with Matthews and winger William Nylander - a familiar grouping that had significant time together over the past two seasons - and winger Andreas Johnsson was moved alongside centre John Tavares and winger Mitch Marner. But the primary directive for all players was a relatively simple one: ratchet up their competitive levels.
"I just think we can play harder," Babcock said. "I thought we tried to play real well and be stingy defensively. In saying that, I think we can play, as Tavares said, at another level. I think we can play harder. I think we can work harder."
The bitter taste of the Leafs' most recent loss - a 6-3 loss to Colorado Monday at Scotiabank Arena - was out of the players' mouths, but they understand what the underlying major issue was in the game.
"I think they just out-battled us and outworked us," Matthews said. "I think that was pretty clear. They didn't give us much space, we turned the puck over into their hands all game… maybe we just weren't good enough."
Turning their attention to the NHL-leading Lightning - a division rival that's 19-4-0 at home this year - the Leafs know what they have to do to stay at their level. Approximately one month ago - in a 4-1 loss to the Bolts in Tampa Bay Dec. 13 - the Leafs generated a season-high 49 shots. Only one beat goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, but the Buds scored first and put a scare into Tampa Bay.
Still, if the Leafs can fire another 49 shots at Vasilevskiy Thursday, there's a chance more of them go in the net. And if Toronto plays as it did for roughly the first 39 minutes of that Dec. 13 game, there's a chance the Leafs can get back to the winning ways that put them near the top of the league for the first half of the 2018-19 campaign. And don't for a second think Leafs players are unaware of the things they did right in that 4-1 defeat. This time, it's all about stretching that effort until the final buzzer.
"We skated well, we didn't give them much time and space," Matthews said of the Dec. 13 game. "We trapped well, picking off pucks and going the other way. When we're playing with our speed and our skill and doing things right, playing smart, taking care of the puck, we're a tough team to play against. But it's a matter of putting that all together through a full 60 minutes and a full game."
