‘They Pay Good Money, They Want To See Us Win’: Maple Leafs React To Being Booed Off Home Ice After Third Consecutive Loss

The boos rained down as loud as ever on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena for the second straight game as the Toronto Maple Leafs skated off following another disappointing performance, losing 4-1 against the Dallas Stars.

After a hot streak of five consecutive wins, the team has now dropped three in a row, including two on home ice, where they’ve been outscored 7-1 over their last two contests.

“It's everywhere. They do it in every rink, don't they? I mean, it's part of the game,” said head coach Craig Berube post-game, referencing the boos. “They pay good money, and they come to see hockey, and they want to see us win. So, that's, you know, that's the way it goes.”

The Leafs started strong, taking an early 1-0 lead after captain Auston Matthews buried his 15th of the season, but they couldn’t sustain the momentum, surrendering four unanswered goals. Dallas capitalized on two of their three power-play opportunities, while Toronto’s man advantage continued to struggle, going 0-for-2 on the night.

“I thought we had a good start,” said Berube. “I thought things were good, and I thought, you know, a lot of good things. I thought we defended well against a real good team, and they're tight too. They don't give you much. So, you know, it was going to be a low-event game, five on five, and special teams were the difference tonight.”

The lack of energy and execution has been a familiar trend since the team’s November 9 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. In that game, the Leafs were sloppy with the puck, failed to generate quality scoring chances, and settled for weak perimeter shots.

The same issues have persisted with little improvement.

Saturday’s 3-0 shutout loss to the Vancouver Canucks only added to the frustration. The Canucks, arriving in Toronto the same afternoon, dominated a sluggish Maple Leafs team in what Berube and the team described as a “disconnected” effort.

Related: 'We Need More Life And Energy': Maple Leafs’ Offense Sluggish In Shutout Loss To Struggling Canucks

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson empathized with the fans’ reaction on Tuesday night, saying, “I mean, I think it’s frustrating losing, so I think we feel the same way.”

As they prepare to close out their three-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Leafs need to address some areas of improvement. Crashing the net, fighting for second-chance opportunities, and improving their special teams are a few areas demanding attention over the last week.

The message coming from the locker room Tuesday night focused again on execution as the club seems to be battling some adversity as the midway point of January approaches.

“I think our execution can be better. I mean, we're going through adversity right now, and as much as we prefer not to go through that, it's necessary sometimes. And these are the kind of moments where we've got to come together even more and stick with each other and work our way out of it,” said Matthews.

Related: ‘A Lot Of Nothing Going On’: Maple Leafs Continue To Be Disconnected On The Power Play In Loss Against Canucks

So where do the Leafs go from here?

Back to the drawing board of fundamentals, says Ekman-Larsson.

Still sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 56 points, the club has to shift their attention to what brought them success earlier in the season.

“I think it's hard work. I think sticking to the game plan,” Ekman-Larsson explained. “Yeah, I mean, I think overall this year we have been playing some good hockey. So we just get back to the stuff that works. We know that we have it in this room and we just have to work a little bit harder when things are not going our way.”

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