John Tavares says Maple Leafs have to look themselves in the mirror after third straight loss

""We were slow to start, our pace wasn't there and we put ourselves in a couple different holes," Maple Leafs assistant captain John Tavares said following the game. "We really started to come on and get ourselves back into the game but we just weren't able to maintain that level in the third to tie the game up.""

""We've come home here and we haven't got the results we needed. We have to look in the mirror here and realize that coming off a pretty big road trip we haven't been able to follow it up," Tavares said. "We just haven't been as good as we've needed to be coming back home.""

""We just haven't been at the same level. I think we understand where we're at and the importance of every game, the need to execute, need to be sharp and battle through whatever challenges there might be," Tavares said. "Whether you feel good, whether you don't, we have to give ourselves the best possible chance to win hockey games.""

The Maple Leafs lost 6-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights, extending a three-game losing streak during the third game of a five-game home stand. Repeated slow starts and early first-period deficits forced the team into comebacks that were unsustained, with third-period play proving especially problematic. The club returned from a 2-1-1 road trip, including a win over Colorado, but failed to replicate that performance at home. The Leafs hold a 24-18-9 record after 51 games, sitting three points behind the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Anthony Stolarz returned, stopping 25 of 30 shots.

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