LEAFS NOTES: Making more of home cooking becoming vital as playoffs near

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The Maple Leafs are losing their way on Bay.

After Saturday night’s 4-2 Ottawa Senators win, Toronto has dropped five of its past seven games at Scotiabank Arena, and reached three consecutive defeats at home for just the second time under new coach Craig Berube.

Since Dec. 21, the Leafs’ mark is 6-9-1 at SBA.

There are some mitigating factors — with so few home dates since late January — that many Leafs hadn’t realized the downward trend in their own yard.

“It’s been a couple of months, you’ll have to remind me,” defenceman Jake McCabe said before the game. “But through the course of the year, our record is pretty good at home (now 20-13-1).”

Ottawa represented the second of four games in a row when the Leafs will once more be sleeping in their own beds and should be enjoying such perks as last line change.

“We were on the road for quite some time after the break and obviously that’s hard,” Berube said pre-game. “But it’s not excuses. We have to fight through it. Now we’re at home, we’ve had a little rest. We should have good energy here.”

Berube noted that conservative-style games have not gone Toronto’s way of late.

“But for quite some time this year, we played in a lot of low-event games and came out on top. That’s got to be our recipe.”

Matthew Knies said the team has grappled at times to re-establish “an identity”, which Florida, Ottawa and other visiting opponents have clearly not. Getting on a firm footing at home should address that.

“It’s important because the division is very tight and every point matters.” Knies said.

SEN-SATIONAL PLAYOFFS

It’s Christmas in March for a few long-time Senators who’ve not been in a playoff spot in the schedule’s closing weeks. The club is trying to get there for the first time in eight years after so many false hopes. 

Travis Green only knows this edition of the team, with its six-game winning streak, an increasingly solid wildcard position and after Saturday, a  season-sweep hat trick of the loathed Maple Leafs. 

“We’ve talked a lot about our group, but the past doesn’t matter,” incoming coach Green said. “It is what it is, you live in the present. Think about tomorrow and learn from what happened today.” 

That lesson would include a closer than necessary finish, in which Ottawa nearly frittered its one-goal lead with a late delay of game penalty by Artem Zub, missed two empty nets (Leaf nemesis Ridly Greig of all people) and had its first freebie erased by a successful Leaf challenge for off-side. 

“That got a little hairy down the stretch,” Green agreed. “A huge kill by our group against a potent power play. But it goes back to staying the course. We had everyone in that room buying in tonight.” 

As the Sens rise, the Leafs fall and Tampa Bay runs hot and cold, the chances of the first Ottawa – Toronto playoff series in 21 years are increasing. Not because Toronto will win the Atlantic Division and play the wildcard Sens, but a continued Ottawa surge might catch Toronto, Tampa or both in the scramble for second and third . 

“That would be awesome,” tying goal scorer Jake Sanderson said of another Battle of Ontario chapter in the spring. ‘We were talking in the room before, we have to play a playoff (intensity) game tonight.” 

Fifth-year Senator forward Shane Pinto is pumped for his first post-season ride, no matter the foe.  

“The last couple of years have been tough, but to finally have meaningful games at this time of year is what you play for. It’s refreshing, we’re embracing it.” 

Thomas Chabot described Ottawa’s dressing room attitude as “very hungry”. 

“We’re fortunate to play in this league, but you want to play in big games. When your season ends early, you go home, but I watch every single playoff game. And you know what? We put ourselves in good position so far.” 

MARLIES MAKE IT MATTER

The Marlies borrowed SBA Saturday afternoon, putting it to good use before 8,100 in a 3-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers.

Dennis Hildeby stopped 21 pucks, with goals by Jacob Quillan, Alex Steeves (his 33rd) and Robert Mastrosimone. The teams play again Sunday at 4 p.m. at Ricoh Coliseum. The farm club’s record is 31-17-3-6, sitting third in their division with 15 games remaining.

Waived winger Ryan Reaves is technically a Marlie, but it appears the Leafs won’t ask the 38-year-old to actually play in the minors if he doesn’t want to, an option they gave Wayne Simmonds a couple of years ago. Marlies’ coach John Gruden said he has not spoken to Reaves.

LOOSE LEAFS

Congrats to Toronto Star colleague Kevin McGran on his upcoming new book, Auston Matthews, A Life In Hockey, to be published Sept. 30 … Matthews’ second-period goal, weird as it was on a failed clear by Linus Ullmark, was his 25th career against Ottawa … Claude Giroux collected his 22nd against the Leafs … Toronto has been breaking in its green St. Patrick’s Day gear for Monday’s match against Calgary and will wear a new version of the old Toronto St. Pats sweater … John Tavares’s 1,168th game Saturday moved him past Chris Pronger on the NHL ledger.

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

X: @sunhornby