Multiple Leafs agree with head coach on why the team lost to Ottawa

The Leafs played a solid first period last night against the Ottawa Senators, however that's about as far as it went. The second and third period, the Leafs just rolled over for the lowly Sens, losing 6-2 in a game where Ilya Samsonov was not prepared for the start.

Post-game, not only did Sheldon Keefe think it was a terrible game, saying, "you can't lose like that on home ice," but he also called out the lack of effort, specifically in the defensive zone to help Samsonov out. Around the dressing room, the feeling was the same.

"I think you can look at the effort. At a certain extent, you can look at the execution," said Morgan Rielly, who is still goalless on the season.

Joey Anderson, who has 2 goals and 1 assist in 9 games this season, said, "It just wasn't good enough. Especially in the third period there, we needed a response and we didn't get it. I think we missed that competitive edge out there. They were heavier than us."


The second and third periods were some of the worst periods the Leafs have played all season in terms of compete level. The good news is that they won't have much time to dwell on it with a Sunday game against the Capitals on the horizon. This one will have a 5PM ET start time.