These were three of the many clichés that Toronto Maple Leafs interim coach Peter Horachek used in an interview prior last night’s Leafs/Hurricanes contest. And unless you’ve had your head in the sand lately, you know that going into last night’s game, the Leafs have lost their last four, scoring only once in that stretch. In ten days the Buds have gone from the second highest scoring team in the NHL to the ninth.

PHOTO CREDIT - NHL.com

Windsor - January 20, 2015 - “Believe in the process.”

“Sense of urgency.”

“Take it to another level.”

These were three of the many clichés that Toronto Maple Leafs interim coach Peter Horachek used in an interview prior last night’s Leafs/Hurricanes contest. And unless you’ve had your head in the sand lately, you know that going into last night’s game, the Leafs have lost their last four, scoring only once in that stretch. In ten days the Buds have gone from the second highest scoring team in the NHL to the ninth.

The boys just can’t score. Nazem Kadri hasn’t lit the lamp in his last eight games, while David Clarkson is 0 for 13 games, and Phil Kessel has one even strength goal in his last eighteen. The last time the Leafs and Hurricanes met, Carolina won 4-1. It was that game that started the current Leafs slide. That slide continued in the first period last night. Five seconds after a Jake Gardiner penalty expired, Brad Malone put the Hurricanes ahead 1-0 when he converted a huge rebound off Jonathan Bernier’s right pad. Forty one seconds later, Elias Lindholm scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0. David Clarkson tried to get his teammates going when he scrapped with Brad Malone in a bout that ended in a draw. Shortly afterward, Jordan Staal appeared to put Carolina ahead 3-0, but the goal was called off by referee Dave Jackson, who ruled that former Leaf Jiri Tlusty made contact with Bernier. Later in the period the Leafs could muster only two shots on a power play opportunity against a team that now has thirty five straight penalty kills in fourteen games.

Starting the second period it had been over three hundred minutes since a Leafs forward had scored a goal. Three hundred minutes. That’s five games, folks. And they didn’t score in the second either. The only goal of the period came off the stick of Eric Staal, and was the one that chased Jonathan Bernier in favour of James Reimer. Near the end of the period a disgruntled Leafs fan (there’s always one) tossed a Leafs sweater onto the ice before being tossed himself. Personal aside: I hate seeing that stuff, and no matter how bad my team is playing, it drives me nuts when someone does that. But that’s another opinion for another day.

The third period was more of the same. Carolina carried the play, and the Leafs continued to be snake bit. Another sweater came out of the stands. Eric Staal took exception to a Dion Phaneuf hit on his brother Jordan, and the two captains dropped the gloves.

With just under five minutes left, on a power play, Leafs forward Nazem Kadri put a high wrister past Anton Khudobin to put the Buds on the board. But it was too little too late, and when James Reimer was pulled for an extra attacker with 2:41 to go, Eric Staal sealed the deal with an empty netter. Leafs lose 4-1. So, to recap, the Leafs:

Don’t appear to believe in the process.

Showed no sense of urgency.

Took it to another level - of the low variety.

TC out