""I think it's a little bit of everything," Matthews said. "It's attitude and commitment from us to take care of the puck in certain situations, certain parts of the game. The second period's been a bit of a struggle for us lately. I think a lot of it just comes down to execution: being mentally focused and executing out there. We've shown flashes of it, but it has to be throughout the whole 60 minutes.""
""I think it's just taking care of the puck, the turnovers," Matthews said. "The simple plays are there. I think maybe we try to overextend or do too much at times, and that's where we get ourselves in trouble. Like I said, we've shown flashes. I thought the last five, six minutes of the second period was really good.""
Toronto has lost four of its last six games and has shown inconsistent play aside from an overtime win over the New York Rangers. Leaders described the play as sloppy, pointing to turnovers, poor puck care and attitude lapses. The second period has been a recurring trouble area with mental focus and execution identified as key issues. Players say the team shows flashes of strong play but fails to sustain it for the full 60 minutes. Simple plays are available, but overextending and trying to do too much create problems. The Maple Leafs face the Buffalo Sabres in a back-to-back and aim to regain consistency.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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