Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen didn’t mince his words after his team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday.
Holding a 2-0 advantage after two periods, Toronto couldn’t seal the deal in what has become an all-too familiar pattern for the club during a four-game slide. Fed up with losing, Andersen wasn’t afraid to call out his club post-game.
“We’ve got to figure out who wants to commit to playing for the team,” Andersen told reporters. “We have to come with a different attitude. We played well enough for two periods and we’ve got to find a way to keep the foot on the gas the whole game.”
The Leafs are firmly entrenched in the NHL playoff picture, sitting comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division, but Andersen thinks it’s time they take a hard look in the mirror and nip their problems in the bud.
“We’ve got to look at each other in the eyes here and determine where we want to go from here. I don’t think we’re tired; I think it’s lack of effort at certain points and that’s something that can’t happen,” Andersen said. “We’ve got to figure this out if we want to play any meaningful hockey later.
“We’re sitting pretty good, but there can’t be any reason for not playing the right way.”
Toronto hasn’t earned a regulation victory since Dec. 28 against the lowly Arizona Coyotes and its next chance to get back in the win column will come Saturday in a road game against the Ottawa Senators.
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