'It's Not Something We Would Care About': Maple Leafs Prioritize Self-Improvement Over Canucks' Travel Challenges

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to try and take advantage of a Vancouver Canucks team that was forced to stay overnight in Raleigh, North Carolina one night earlier when the Canadian rivals meet at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

The Canucks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 at Lenovo Center on Friday. They were originally scheduled to fly out after the game, which is customary for games on back-to-back days, but could not due to poor weather in the area.

"We just got to focus on us and our game. I mean I get it. A tough travel for them, played last night and I get all that, but let's just throw it out the window," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Vancouver's travel woes. "Let's focus on us. We're going to focus on what we need to do better from last game."

The Leafs are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. That snapped Toronto's season-high five-game winning streak. Toronto will be better rested given their full day off on Friday, but it won't necessarily translate to results.

"It happened last year when I was in Dallas. I don't know where we were, but I ended up flying the day-of to Colorado to play. Yeah, we played really well," Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev said. "So I mean, I think sometimes it's just you show up and don't think and you're playing. But I mean, obviously, it's not ideal to travel the day of the game, especially. Everyone has their routines and everything so that can throw that for a loop."

Last season, the Detroit Red Wings had travel issues that forced the club to play against the Maple Leafs just hours before they landed in Toronto. Detroit went on to win the game 4-2.

"It's not something we would even talk about or care about," Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty said about the travel issues. "Professionals and oftentimes people, whether it's something that's known or something that's private, everyone deals with their things and expect them to come out really hard in a Canadian matchup."

One of the more famous travel stories involving the Leafs was in 2013 when the Bruins were forced to fly back home to Boston the day of Game 7 of their first-round series due to mechanical issues. The Bruins won the series-deciding game 5-4 in overtime.

The Leafs have had a tough schedule but do not have any instances of games on back-to-back games for the remainder of January. Perhaps some rest will help them, but it's clear they don't want to rest on any excuse that could help the Canucks get the better of them.

"We're just trying to focus on ourselves here," Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. "We know that we have to be a lot better than what we played last night. So we just try to focus on ourselves."

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.