Tavares: Leafs 'should be pissed off' about collapse vs. struggling Preds
Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares isn't about to let his teammates get complacent about Saturday's 5-2 collapse at the hands of the basement-dwelling Nashville Predators.
"We should be pissed off," he said postgame. "It was a great opportunity to end a really good week. ... It should piss us off and get us ready for another big week next week."
The Maple Leafs held a 2-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes thanks to tallies from Tavares and star winger Mitch Marner, but it was all Nashville the rest of the way. The Predators scored three times in the second period and another two in the third for five unanswered goals.
"It was a total flip," Toronto head coach Craig Berube said. "What we did to them in the first, they did to us in the second. We had breakdowns that cost goals. There was no reason for it."
The bench boss added, "They didn't give us a lot of room, but we didn't fight for it, either."
Nashville had lost its previous four games and scored just three times over that span. The Predators entered Saturday's action dead last in goals per game (2.53) and 30th in the league with a 25-35-8 record. The two teams behind them - the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks - are already eliminated from playoff contention.
When asked if there was an element of taking the struggling Predators for granted, Tavares responded, "No, definitely not."
Toronto squandered a massive opportunity to retake first place in the Atlantic after both the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning lost earlier Saturday. Here's how the top of the division looks now:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panthers | 42-25-3 (70 GP) | 87 | .621 |
| 2 | Maple Leafs | 42-25-3 (70 GP) | 87 | .621 |
| 3 | Lightning | 40-24-5 (69 GP) | 85 | .616 |
Toronto and Florida have identical records, but the latter has one more regulation win (35). The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens currently occupy the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference with 79 and 75 points in 69 games, respectively.
Saturday's defeat snapped the Maple Leafs' three-game winning streak. Prior to that run, Toronto had lost five of its previous six outings.
"I think the inconsistencies, obviously, aren't ideal, especially this time of year," captain Auston Matthews said. "We have a bad outing and we string together a couple good games and then kind of have another letdown like this. I think that's on us to make sure that we're consistent every night no matter what."
The Leafs will get a chance to re-enter the win column Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. ET.