TORONTO — The 6-2 loss in Buffalo. The 9-2 humiliation at home to Nashville.
Yes, those were tough games for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs to sit through, but imagine for a second what it was like for Joffrey Lupul to watch them.
Not only was the alternate captain rehabbing an injury those evenings — an all-too-familiar occurrence during his NHL career — but he was also unable to avoid the uncomfortable questions the blowouts raised about the direction of the organization.
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Lupul has spent some time thinking about the “what ifs” of a make-or-break season in Toronto and knows how important it is for the team to keep from coming apart at the seams.
“For this group of guys this is a big year for us,” he said after Tuesday’s practice. “We have to make a step. A year of us not making the playoffs again is not going to be acceptable. … (Since I arrived) we had one good year that ended in a first-round playoff loss and a great series, but we need to do more this year.
“We know that.”
Lupul loves playing in a Canadian market and loves living in the heart of a big city. He loves basically everything about his current situation, really.
He is part of a core group the Leafs are betting heavily on — GM Dave Nonis has committed a whopping $217.25-million to six players on long-term contracts since the 2012-13 lockout ended — and is under no illusions about how much is riding on the next few months.
Implicit in Tuesday’s chat was an acknowledgement from Lupul that he has to be part of the solution for this team. And that means he has to be on the ice.
So as he prepared to return from a broken right hand for Wednesday’s game in Pittsburgh there seemed to be a little extra purpose behind his words. He’s focused on making an immediate impact.
“It’s not just come back and try and find your spot in the lineup,” said Lupul.
He had been playing inspired hockey before suffering the injury on a freak fall in practice.
Lining up beside Nazem Kadri and Daniel Winnik, the Leafs were controlling 58.47 percent of the even-strength shot attempts with Lupul on the ice — numbers that hadn’t translated to goals and assist through nine games, but earned praise from the coaching staff.
“That whole possession thing comes into play,” said Kadri. “We didn’t spend a lot of time in our own end.”
Of course, the one difficult thing to look past with Lupul is his long history of injuries. He’s missed more than a quarter of Toronto’s games since being acquired in 2011 because of a variety of ailments, including a dislocated shoulder (16 games), fractured forearm (25), concussion (five), bruised foot (two), groin tear (seven), knee problem (four) and, finally, the broken hand (12).
Given what’s at stake this season, the latest ailment might have been the toughest of all for him to deal with emotionally. Lupul’s lower lip quivered as he spoke to reporters in Columbus after an x-ray revealed the break last month.
“That first week or 10 days, in particular, it’s a pretty low feeling,” he said Tuesday. “It’s not a good thing. Physically I’m sure I could handle another injury but mentally I don’t know if I can right now.
“So hopefully I just stay healthy for a bit.”
The Leafs have put together a modest two-game winning streak since the Sabres and Predators beat them by a combined score of 15-4. What stood out in the consecutive victories over Tampa and Detroit is how much more committed the team was defensively — allowing just 28 shots each night.
Keeping that trend going against the run-and-gun Penguins will be no easy task, but Lupul is anxious for the challenge.
He believes this Leafs team is deeper than any other he has played on before.
“Now we’re at the point where I think everyone here would like to see us get some momentum,” said Lupul. “Maybe not necessarily a six- or seven-game winning streak, but just six or seven good hockey games in a row.
“We just want to get playing like a consistent team — like a Boston or a Pittsburgh, where you know kind of what you’re going to get every night.”
Baby steps will do.
For both the 31-year-old winger and an organization that is counting on him to make a difference.