Following a loss to the Florida Panthers which marked the first time they had lost two consecutive games this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs took to the ice for practice on Wednesday.
But before practice got underway at the Mastercard Centre in Etobicoke, the team held a meeting to get back on track after two blowout losses.
While the last two losses have seen the Leafs outscored by a 12-1 margin, captain Dion Phaneuf explained that the team was trying to stay positive during the rough patch.
"I don't think there's any reason to hit the panic button to be completely honest with you," Phaneuf said. "What happens in our room stays in our room, but we did have a meeting. There's no negatives and we're not getting down on ourselves and the group we have. We're confident, we're upbeat, and it's just a bump in the road for us. And that's just the way we've got to treat it."
"We're trying to build something here. We're trying to grow together as a group and you're going to go through times like this. It's how you come out of them and it's how you respond to the adversity that's before us."
The Leafs had an up-tempo practice on Wednesday which put a lot of focus on skating hard, puck pursuit and compete level, with Phaneuf telling reporters that the team is at it's best when utilizing those skills.
"I think we had a really good practice today," said the Leafs' captain. "We competed, we were working to the strengths of our team which is using our speed and work ethic. I think when we're moving our feet and we're hunting pucks and we're getting into the forecheck, we're a really good, effective team. And that's what we were working on today."
Defenceman John-Michael Liles kept mum about what was said or even if there was a meeting, but told reporters that it was important to stick by the goaltenders and help them out during this rough stretch.
"We didn't even have a team meeting," Liles said. "It was just a good talk."
"It's a team game. We have off-nights and they bail us out and it's a matter of everybody working together and everybody playing together. Mistakes are going to happen and it's a matter of the other guys on the ice helping out when a mistake does happen."
After a second straight game in which the team was forced to switch goaltenders, all eyes were on Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens. Head coach Ron Wilson explained after Wednesday's loss that he had in mind an idea of who would start against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, but would look to practice to help him make that decision.
Wilson declined to speak to the media after practice, but Gustavsson explained that there was no added pressure to work hard in practice despite the losses and Wilson's comments.
"I try to work as hard as I can every practice," Gustavsson explained. "That's your responsibility, you have to do that. And I think you should want to do that. Because in the end you're just going to do yourself a favour if you work hard because you're going to be a better goalie and have a fun career."
While Gustavsson was busy facing shots from his teammates during drills, Scrivens spent a lot of one-on-one time with goaltending coach Francois Allaire. The 25-year old rookie netminder explained that the lessons from Allaire and the support from his teammates have helped in his first stint with the Leafs.
"It's a learning experience for me," Scrivens said. "All this stuff is brand new to me so I'm just trying to get better everyday and take lessons out of stuff that's happened."
"The guys around the room are great for helping me. We've got a lot of great leadership around here. Little comments by guys that are helping me out everyday just to get comfortable around the room and around the idea of being in the net and on the ice."
Both goaltenders explained that neither had been told who would be the starter for Thursday's game in St. Louis. Also, James Reimer did not take part in practice and there is no timetable for his return.
For up-to-the-minute Leafs news and updates, be sure to follow Ken Beckett on Twitter @KenBeckett
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