from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

It was only last weekend, believe it or not, when the Leafs arrived in Washington following a successful swing through California which included a big victory in Los Angeles. That propelled them to second in the Atlantic Division and left them nine points clear of the Detroit Red Wings, the closest playoff pursuer in the Eastern Conference.

That comfy cushion is no more.
The Leafs now have no margin for error and seemingly no confidence following a 3-2 loss to New Jersey on Sunday night, their fifth in an eight-day span that has produced many more questions than answers.

“I don’t think we’re playing that bad,” said sniper Phil Kessel. “I think we’re playing OK. We get chances and just we’re not getting them to go right now as you can see.
“It’s a tough stretch, I’ll tell you that much.”

There is no relief in sight with the league-leading St. Louis Blues set to visit Air Canada Centre on Tuesday and a tough back-to-back against Philadelphia and Detroit on Friday and Saturday. This is already quite bad, yes, but could it easily get worse.

read on