Fans mock Leafs in 11th straight home loss, 7-1vs. Flyers,
It’s gone beyond embarrassing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
First, they suffered a loss even before they took the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night.
Would be starting goalie Jonas Gustavsson took a shot in the warm-up in an almost impossible-to-hit area of his knee and was lost for the game.
Then, in the third period of what would be a 7-1 blowout loss to the Flyers, Leaf fans began chanting “Let’s Go Blue Jays! . . . Let’s Go Blue Jays!”
Toronto has now lost 11 straight on home ice. There have been longer losing streaks in hockey, but in Toronto, the spiral has not only equalled the franchise record of 11 games without a win on home ice, it’s crushing players and management into the depths of despair.
“It’s tough, we’re not playing well, so what would you expect,” Leafs sniper Phil Kessel said of the Jays chants.
“I can’t remember the last time we won a game in this building … we’ve got four games left and it’s gotta come from this room, we gotta prove we’re better than this.”
The last Leaf win at the Air Canada Centre came on Feb. 6. And with a string of 11 home ice losses since then, the refrain in Leafs Nation was what more could go wrong.
Well, Gustavsson’s injury for one thing.
Gustavsson initially appeared to be in a great deal of pain as he lay sprawled on the ice while the warm-up continued around him. Eventually, he left the ice with the aid of trainers and was treated in full equipment in the dressing room. He returned for the second period in backup service.
That thrust rookie Jussi Rynnas into the starting role, a no-warning call that marked his first NHL start.
“I knew almost right away. When I saw that shot I knew,” said Rynnas, who was beaten by Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds twice each, while finding out first-hand just how bad things are going for the Leafs.
“I was ready to play, it doesn’t matter when it happens, you have to be ready. You never want to let in seven goals, and I’m not happy with that. I try to take the good things from this and leave everything else behind.” Pretty stoic stuff from the tall Finn, who was called up from the Marlies in a backup role with James Reimer suffering an upper body injury and possibly shut down for the remainder of the season. Coach Randy Carlyle wasn’t about to pick holes in Rynnas’s game. “I really looked at it as a situation we were put in with the goalie … it was a young guy put in for his first full start, I would have expected more protection from our group,” Carlyle said, referring to another stunningly poor defensive effort, and the fact the Leafs were outshot by another wide margin, this one 30-17. “Philadelphia is a big, strong team, and I was expecting more of a push back from us to help Jussi shine.” With so much hopelessness gripping his group, Carlyle continues to stress pride, passion and the need for sound defensive play. So far, his club has shown only threadbare evidence of the improvements the new coach wants. Prior to Thursday’s game, he also admonished his group on the importance of raising its level of play in front of the home crowd, which has been arguably unparalleled in pro sports in terms of its relentless support.