Mike Babcock addressed the media briefly after his team’s 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night, dropping the Leafs record to 8-4-0 on the season and 3-4-0 on home ice.
On the team’s effort level versus a more urgent Flames team:
I just thought they were prepared. I thought they skated. I thought they worked. I thought they sailed out of their zone and beat us up the ice.
In the first period, we turned the puck over. The game is frustrating when the other team works harder than you.
On whether it is frustrating that players with more of an opportunity with Auston Matthews out of the lineup didn’t take full advantage of that opportunity tonight:
That’s why we watch them, right? But I didn’t think our top group had a good night, you know what I mean? You’re talking about a different group. To me, our top group playing against their top groups weren’t good enough.
When you look at the whole group, obviously, we weren’t good enough. We will get an opportunity to ask ourselves why and get it straightened out so we can be better.
