The Toronto Maple Leafs have played some of their most uninspiring hockey of the season over the past week or so. They have lost three games in a row in regulation for the first time since last season following losses to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night,

Auston Matthews spoke to the media after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-1 to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Matthews scored the first goal of the game with an assist from Mitch Marner.

Matthews has put up points in 10 of his last 11 games (eight goals, seven assists), and he has 17 goals and 17 assists in 31 games this season. Matthews' pace is quickening, which spells good things for your second half.

Every team in the NHL would love to have just one of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, or William Nylander. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the luxury of all three stars.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews feels that his team is overcomplicating things on the power play and they need to get back to basics. In Saturday’s shutout loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Leafs got three power-play chances on the night and combined to record two shots (both of which were on the first attempt).

Matthews has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his last six games since he returned from injury. That increases his season total to 15 goals, 17 assists and 116 shots in 30 games. And you can expect Matthews' goal scoring to increase given his somewhat flat 12.

Matthews and Nylander both scored two goals as Toronto battled back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in the third period to beat New Jersey 4-3.

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz will not play in Thursday's game against the visiting Montreal Canadiens due to an upper-body injury.

Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and three more in the shootout as the host New York Rangers earned a crucial 1-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

The Canadiens will also need to shutdown Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who scored the Leafs’ last seven goals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored, Logan Thompson made 18 saves and the NHL-leading Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Saturday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

Isn’t this it for Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, champions of lost chases in the free-agent world of baseball? Isn’t this it, after last season’s disaster, after the previous season’s playoff blunder,