It was yet another messy night for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday as the team fell 5-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes to wrap up this week’s homestand.

Carolina dominated play through much of the game, with goaltender Dennis Hildeby bailing out the Leafs on more than one occasion. In the end, Carolina dominated the shot count by a 46-20 margin. Auston Matthews addressed some of those continued woes that are plaguing the team this year.

“It’s kind of been the same stuff,” Matthews said post-game. “Just details and execution. I didn’t think we won our puck battles tonight, it’s just kind of the repetitive stuff that we just can’t seem to get right or we can’t seem to have consistency over a full 60 minutes. There’s gonna be times where there’s momentum shifts and stuff like that, but we gotta break that momentum as quickly as possible and get back on the right side of things. We’re not doing that quick enough.”

Dropping both games over the weekend, the Leafs now hold an 8-7-1 record through 16 games.

“I think part of it is a mindset, and part of it is just execution and willingness,” Matthews said when asked how the Leafs can get their season back on track. “Winning battles all throughout, doing the little things. Little details make a big difference throughout 60 minutes.”

There has been a notable breakdown in Toronto’s defensive play, as the Leafs aren’t shifting from their own zone efficiently, costing opportunities offensively.

“Communication is a big piece,” Matthews said. “I think we tend to wanna play quick and I think there’s opportunities sometimes to get the puck in the middle of the ice some more, and that’s just communication. That’s just knowing where guys are gonna be and being more predictable on breakouts, so we can get the puck, play fast, and get on their end of the ice as quickly as possible.”

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