The Toronto Maple Leafs wrapped up a winless homestand on Tuesday night, falling 7-4 to the Buffalo Sabres. Now on a five-game losing streak, the team has fallen further out of the playoff picture.

Speaking after the match, Auston Matthews broke down what he saw from Toronto’s game.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” the Maple Leafs captain said. “I mean, I thought we started well, a couple of bad breaks, and we battled our way to get back to even up the score. And then it just felt like our level dropped every time we scored. We were able to feel like we gained momentum and then we just gave it right back.”

While the final score reflects a somewhat one-sided affair, it was a back-and-forth contest through the first 40, with Toronto twice taking the lead, before falling behind to end the second period. But in the final frame, the Sabres doubled their lead with a goal 16 seconds in, and controlled the game from there on out.

“I don’t know, there’s really no excuse,” Matthews said, of the team’s third-period performance. “That just can’t happen. Going into the third, we’re in a good position, good spot, down one goal. We just have to have more of a sense of urgency. We have to be a more desperate team than the opponent each and every night, especially where we are at.”

The lack of urgency has been costly for the Maple Leafs recently. Two weeks ago, Toronto finally battled their way into a wildcard spot, but they’ve now fallen nearly 10 points behind. As the Maple Leafs hit the road, they now have one last chance to claim some crucial points before the three-week Olympic break.

“We’ve got a road trip and four games left, and you want to make the most of it,” Matthews said. “We’ve got to be more desperate as a team for the whole entire game. Going back on the road, it’s a great time for us to be together, to regroup mentally, physically, and take it one game at a time. Obviously these games are extremely important.”

The Maple Leafs begin their trip in Seattle, set to face off against the Kraken on Thursday night.

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