Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares believes there is a good chance the team can get their season back on track as they head out on their five-game road trip.

While the trip technically commenced on Saturday, the team returned to Toronto to spend a few days resting and practicing before heading out of town for the next few weeks, facing off against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. It won’t be easy given that the team currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference, but head coach Craig Berube tried to preach positivity at the end of practice by telling the players that the glass is half-full amidst their struggles.

“ There’s a lot of hockey to be played, and just kind of gotta stay with it,” Tavares said to reporters after practice. “It’s a great opportunity on this road trip to do some good things, earn some results, and put ourselves in a good spot. So  I’m just looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. You’re obviously aware of the length of this trip and what it entails, but just staying focused on tomorrow and playing a good hockey game and doing what we can to get a win.”

When asked about the mood inside the dressing room while the team is in the midst of a stretch of losing seven of their last eight games, Tavares believes that the team’s spirits remain high. One way that it can become a reality is getting more quality starts from Joseph Woll, who has not missed a step after returning from a leave of absence.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Tavares said of Woll. “ He takes such good care of himself, extremely fit. Attention to detail and his approach and the work that he puts in on himself in a lot of areas, and how he sees the game and prepares as he does.  He’s been massive for us and through the games here has really given us a chance where we haven’t really been able to sustain the momentum that we would like or grab the game back at times.”

If the Leafs wish to get things clicking again, it will start by playing a stronger overall game and handling the momentum swings better than they have before. That means paying attention to the finer details, having collective buy-in for the forwards to support the defencemen, and having a high alert in their own zone to put out fires. Tavares and William Nylander had an extended conversation with Berube before the start of practice

“ We’re just talking about some of our details defensively,” Tavares said. “ Things that we’re working on, we’re continuing to try to sharpen up, and wanna just wanna make sure that you understand as clearly as you can through our meetings and through video and all those sorts of things.  So just making sure we’re ready to go as we work on things today.”