Maple Leafs fall to Avalanche, extending home losing streak to four games

Toronto suffered a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, extending the Maple Leafs' home losing streak to four games and leaving the team outscored 17-7 over the stretch. The loss dropped the club's record through its first 20 games to a level worse than the same point last season, when it finished near the bottom of the league.

Forward Jack Roslovic acknowledged the frustration, saying, "> Of course. You don’t ever like to lose one. So, when they stack, you start to lose your feel of the winning. But that’s the beauty of why we play this game. I think the problem is solved by work ethic and determination. We’ll need it."

Coach Jim Hiller highlighted a series of errors that he believes cost the team, noting ill-timed penalties, careless giveaways, poor line changes and insufficient offensive-zone possession. He added, "> Our results suck. You can write those stories. There’s no question. We deserve that. But we've played some good hockey at times. And I thought tonight was another night, for a large part of the game, we played some really good hockey."

The Avalanche took advantage after a late goal by Easton Cowan gave the Leafs a brief lead, but Gabriel Landeskog scored the winning goal 51 seconds later. Avalanche goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who made a routine save earlier, allowed three or more goals in 12 of his 13 starts, posting a .813 save percentage.

Roslovic and defenseman Chris Tanev returned to the lineup, but the team could not sustain momentum. Darren Raddysh, who logged a team-high 21:36 of ice time, said, "> You're gonna take your chances and try to make hockey plays. I’d like to have that change back. I was just trying to make a read. I thought I could get off, but ultimately ends up in the back of the net. And that ends up being the key tonight."

The Leafs will look to rebound in their next home game on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.