Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews is demanding more from the team following its fourth defeat in five games.
"We need urgency," Matthew told reporters following Saturday's 4-1 home loss to the New York Islanders. "The games are just gonna keep coming. We've got to be better in all areas. Starting with myself, starting with the leaders and veterans, I think we've all got another level to show."
Matthews and top-line co-star William Nylander each managed just one shot on net in the defeat. Saturday marked the second time this season that the duo has combined for zero points in a game, with the other instance also coming against the Islanders.
"I think we passed up on a lot of shots today, too, and just kind of made it a little bit easier on (the Islanders)," Matthews said. "They played really well. They played hard. But ... I think we could've done a better job of generating shots on the net."
Toronto has allowed 32 goals across nine games. Offseason acquisition Sergei Bobrovsky is the first Maple Leafs netminder to concede three-plus goals in each of his first six games in a season since Vesa Toskala in 2009.
"He's playing great," Matthews said of Bobrovsky. "We've really left him out to dry in these last couple of starts, and that's on us. We've got to better. He's doing his job."
The Maple Leafs will now shift their focus to a quartet of games next week that begins with a visit from the San Jose Sharks on Monday and culminates with a meeting against the Edmonton Oilers to start a four-game road swing.
