‘That’s a choice’: Maple Leafs searching for answers after another home-ice loss

TORONTO – Craig Berube saw a team on the upswing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs came off a successful road trip looking to make inroads at Scotiabank Arena in a congested Eastern Conference playoff race.

Following a disastrous, uninspiring week, they’re again searching for answers — and confidence.

The Colorado Avalanche got a pair of goals off the stick of Brock Nelson inside the game’s first eight minutes before grinding out a 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon to hand the Maple Leafs a fourth straight loss on their ice (0-3-1) in what could be quickly turning into a season-defining stretch of the schedule.

“We gotta to fix the execution part,” said Berube, sporting a black eye and nasty gash on his forehead after a gym incident Thursday. “And then the battle level. When you get down in the game, we gotta come together as a team, and we gotta fight through that. 

“Because it’s going to happen … I think losing at home here, it’s worn on our team a little bit. But that’s pro sports and we gotta all pull it together.”

Toronto occupied the East’s first wild-card berth Jan. 12 on the heels of a 4-3 overtime triumph over the Avalanche in Denver. The Maple Leafs (24-19-9) woke up five points below the playoff cutline Sunday and sit 11th in the conference with a .548 points percentage.

“Well, that’s a choice,” Berube said when asked how the group can regain confidence. “Like, come on. They’re NHL players. You’re paid to play in the NHL, you gotta go out and play. Confidence comes from just hard work. Confidence comes from just playing the system, being direct. Confidence comes from work and compete.”

“You can tell we’re not playing with a ton of confidence,” Toronto defenceman Jake McCabe added. “It can be fleeting at times. You’ve got to generate it when you don’t have it.” 

The Maple Leafs’ ugly homestand has included slow starts in 6-3 losses to the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights that bookended a 2-1 OT defeat to the Detroit Red Wings ahead of Sunday’s setback against the NHL’s top team. Toronto was coming off a 2-2-1 road trip and was 8-0-2 over its previous 10 contests before dropping six of its last seven (1-3-3).

“Just coming out flat,” said Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who started the month with 10 goals in 10 games before firing blanks across the last three. “It didn’t feel like we had the energy that we needed to compete at a high level, and other teams did. We came out better (Sunday), we forechecked better in the first period. 

“And then just mistakes and the puck ends up in the back of your net … you’re just chasing it.” 

Toronto quite simply has been unable to put the pieces together at home.

“We haven’t executed,” Maple Leafs centre John Tavares said. “We just have to raise our level of play and be more consistent. Whether it’s our structure, whether it’s our execution with the puck, all those things, it has to be at a high level, consistently.” 

Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll said despite the recent skid, belief remains high inside the locker room’s four walls.

“We have good leaders,” he said. “It’s a little up and down … little more down than up than maybe I’d like. But it really just takes one to get momentum. I trust this group to feed on that.” 

The clock, however, is ticking with 52 games already chalked off and a huge Atlantic Division matchup with the Buffalo Sabres on deck Tuesday — the Maple Leafs’ final home date before the Olympic break.

“It’s all about coming together,” Berube said. “No individual is going to play you out of it. It’s the team.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2026.