Auston Matthews calls Maple Leafs’ performance vs. Senators ’embarassing’
“It’s fairly embarrassing to be honest with you,” Matthews said. “We need to have more pride in our play no matter where we’re at, no matter what the situation is.”
“Got the first goal, which we’ve been searching for, then shit the bed after that,” McCabe offered.
Saturday’s loss is just the latest in a season that has been marked by failing to meet the moment. Expected to be a contender entering the season, they’ve now dropped to the bottom of the Atlantic division and look primed to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Despite that, the team is continuing to show a lack of urgency in these key divisional matchups. While that’s brought out a lot of frustration about the Leafs’ effort level, McCabe said right now he sees it as more of confidence issue.
“Confidence is a funny thing, we’re certainly not quitting,” McCabe said. “It’s a privilege to play in this league, certainly don’t see anyone quitting out there…lack of confidence can do crazy things to our team, as we’ve seen through stretches this year. Obviously since the (Olympic) break it’s been one of those stretches.”
Despite having one of the oldest teams in the league, McCabe spoke on how even veterans aren’t immune to these difficulties.
“(Confidence) is very fleeting,” he said. “Been around long enough that no matter how veteran you are, there’s times where you don’t have that confidence, and this is a tough game to play when you don’t have it.”
As captain of the Leafs, Matthews agreed that he doesn’t feel the team has quit, but sees the toll on the team of so many losses.
“I think when you go through stretches you can lack confidence, it happens to anybody,” Matthews said. “We’re going through a tough stretch right now coming out of the break. It’s never fun to lose, so it’s hard. It definitely wears on you.”
The Maple Leafs return to Scotiabank Arena on Monday night, set to host the Philadelphia Flyers.