Whatever fight Leafs have left will be tested by Senators

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The fight will have truly gone out of the dog for the Maple Leafs if they exit whimpering in Saturday’s Battle of Ontario.

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Cleaning out the pound will then certainly speed up ahead of the looming NHL trade deadline should Toronto lose badly to its hungry provincial rivals, who’ve shown much better playoff prospects.

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The Leafs took a mandated Friday off after sobering back-to-back losses in Florida by a 9-3 combined score.

Despite a week of high-intensity, post-Olympic practices filled with rhetoric about making a strong final push, it amounted to nothing. Already needing a train wreck in front of them to move up the Eastern Conference standings, the Leafs are once more headed off the rails themselves.

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As they stumbled to an early 3-0 deficit in Sunrise on Thursday before the 5-1 final, teams ahead of them in the East — Pittsburgh, the New York Islanders, Boston and Detroit — all won, while Montreal salvaged a single point against the Isles.

The Leafs awoke to an eight-point gap between them and Boston, with Florida tying them at 63, Philadelphia also even, Ottawa one ahead, Columbus by two and Washington by three — all six clubs not in playoff berths.

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WHAT’S THE MOOD?

Robotic responses from Leafs players in the media the past 48 hours aren’t helping.

Unlike previous times of crisis management during their NHL-best nine-year playoff run, words haven’t turned into deeds, at least the past two games.

Coach Craig Berube seems out of answers, there are no impactful lineup changes for him other than ending rookie Easton Cowan’s exile while club president Keith Pelley’s letter to subscribers for next year’s season tickets had little mention of this year’s dire plight.

Enter the Senators, who the Leafs play three times in their remaining 23 contests, Ottawa is hoping to avenge a playoff loss in last year’s first round to Toronto before it gets to the last one in Game 82.

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The Sens lost in overtime to Detroit on Thursday, their first game after a good run of 5-1 prior to the Olympics. Toronto did win the teams’ only meeting so far, 7-5 at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 27.

But a third sluggish start this week, especially at home, will rile an already angry fan base, which was ready to jump on the bandwagon during five straight dates at Scotiabank Arena in January, only to have the Leafs fail to win one.

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR TRADE DEADLINE?

There’s a week until NHL trades must wrap, though don’t expect general manager Brad Treliving to be active before near the final bell. Contending teams know Toronto could be joined in a sellers’ market in coming days if there’s separation elsewhere in the standings.

The Leafs’ most attractive UFA contracts — forwards Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton — weren’t too visible the past couple of games, while top defencman Oliver Ekman-Larsson could move if the right location is proposed to him.

lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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