If the Maple Leafs are taking baby steps this season after years of futility, consider the loss against the Philadelphia Flyers one big baby step backward.
The loss follows a familiar pattern for the Leafs, who have been able to string together just one four-game winning streak in 2011-12, and it comes down to a lack of consistency.
The Leafs have lost two games after winning three to start February. When they won four in a row to start January, they lost their next three. When they won three consecutive games toward the end of November, they lost their next two.
Next up are the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Suddenly, the Habs have won three in a row, so they’re not the pushovers they have been at most times this season. The Leafs will honour former captain Mats Sundin prior to the game. They have to hope that the delay isn’t too long.
It’s a little puzzling that the Leafs were so ineffective against the Flyers on Thursday night. They were flat in the first period, and though coach Ron Wilson thought they were better in the second, they had a really hard time making the simple play to clear the zone. When push came to shove in the third period, they could not score on Sergei Bobrovsky.
If the Leafs aren’t worried about their road results recently, they should be. Since Christmas, the Leafs are 2-5-2 on the road. Good teams that are comfortable in their own skates don’t lose that often in away games.
The Leafs aren’t ready to run with the big boys yet. Their main worries remain the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators. Even the Winnipeg Jets are making noise and are just four points behind the eighth-place Leafs after a shootout win versus the Caps on Thursday night.
The Leafs want to catch the teams ahead of them in the standings, but they’re not capable of that yet. For now, they should be doing all they can to hold the clubs below them at bay.