TAKEAWAYS: On details, head games and more Maple Leafs adversity in loss to Senators

If adversity indeed makes a hockey team stronger, the Maple Leafs will be better off in the long run.

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It’s on the group, though, to pull itself out of its current slump, one that was extended in the latest Battle of Ontario on Saturday night.

The Ottawa Senators beat the Leafs 4-2 at Scotiabank Arena to complete a sweep of their Atlantic Division rivals in the regular season. The Sens won all three games, outscoring the Leafs 9-3.

Toronto has won one of its past six games, and will have no choice but to buckle down when the Calgary Flames visit on Monday night.

Our takeaways from the latest setback:

TAKING OWNERSHIP

Captain Auston Matthews didn’t mince words in the aftermath.

“The margins have been really small in the last couple of games, but the details in our game haven’t quite been there,” Matthews said. “It’s on us to figure that out and to just be better.

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“We have to get it through our heads that all of these games, especially (against) some of the teams we’re playing, are going to be playoff-like games. There are teams that are fighting for their lives. They’re trying to make a push, they’re desperate teams like the one we played tonight. We have to wrap our heads around that and just be better all around as a team.”

The Leafs have played in two playoff-like games since returning home from a four-game trip and have lost both — first to Florida on Thursday and then to Ottawa. We’re not sure why the Leafs have to remind themselves of the level of competition that they’re going to be facing, the tight hockey, and it won’t change on Monday against the Flames, who are trying to keep their heads above water in the Western Conference wild-card race.

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There shouldn’t need to be reminders of the urgency that is required now. As if the Leafs needed more proof, they’ve been caught in the Atlantic Division by the Tampa Bay Lightning, as both teams have 81 points and 16 games remaining.

The clubs are four points behind the Florida Panthers, and four up on the Senators, who have won six in a row.

We need to stop assuming that the Leafs have a spot in the top three in the division sewn up. They don’t.

“(Ottawa’s) three goals (before scoring into an empty net in the final seconds) were all about losing battles inside the blue line,” coach Craig Berube said. “We didn’t win enough battles there in that area of the game. It’s urgency and details in the first two periods that weren’t there. When we decide to have urgency and do things the right way, we’re a way better team in the third. But you’re behind, and sometimes you don’t come back. We had chances, but that’s what happens.”

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Where is Berube’s level of concern that the urgency is not there for the Leafs for 60 minutes?

“Well, I’m concerned for sure,” Berube said. “It’s just an attitude that we have to have from the start of the game.”

Again, this shouldn’t be an issue at this point, should it?

Berube didn’t hesitate when he was asked about his leadership group  — Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev — and the belief that they’re going to help get the team back on proper footing.

“One hundred per cent, I do believe that,” Berube said. “These guys, they want to win, trust me on that. They want to win. There’s this sense of frustration, for sure, and we have to look past that.

“We can’t complain about or get undisciplined because teams are checking us hard,. That’s what you have to get through.”

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GUTTING IT OUT

Matthews, who scored his 24th goal and first in four games, acknowledged, without going into specifics, that he’s not at full health.

He said he was feeling “fine” about his game, but also said this: “It’s at that point in the season where everybody is grinding through something right now. Just got to keep pushing, keep trying to do what I can do, compete out there, and just try to keep generating opportunities.”

Matthews has been sidelined for a total of 15 games this season with an upper-body issue, but has not missed a game since Jan. 2.

It’s a tough spot for the Leafs. As much as they want to win the division to have better control of their post-season destiny, Matthewscould require some load management that excludes him from games.

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The goal is obvious: To have a healthy Matthews, or as close to possible to full health, for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Matthews didn’t take part in the morning skate after the Leafs had a full day off on Friday, another indication that not everything is right.

“This time of year, there are always guys that are playing hurt or banged-up and stuff, and he’s no different,” Berube said. “But he’ll fight through it. He doesn’t want any sympathy.”

ROOTED IN REALITY

Nylander scored his 37th goal, second-most in the NHL, on a fine solo effort in the second period.

But that wasn’t on his mind during his post-game scrum.

“Just not playing to our level right now,” Nylander said. “We have to simplify and grind a little bit, that’s it.”

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Matthews said cleanup in details by the Leafs involves “both ends (of the ice), special teams, everything.”

Nylander concurred.

“It’s all over the ice,” Nylander said. “D-zone, power play, PK, how we’re playing with the puck, I think everything has to be picked up and dialed-up.”

Why the adversity now?

“I don’t really know,” Nylander said. “I don’t think we’ve really been playing too good as of late, but we would rather have this happen now than later.”

Oh, there’s no doubt about that. The Leafs are better than this. On offence, they shouldn’t have to squeeze water from a stone.

“It’s important for us to just take a look in the mirror, hit the reset button,” Matthews said.

The Leafs will have all day on Sunday, a day off for them, to do some soul-searching. They don’t have a choice.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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