Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller believes his club played better than its record indicates after a 0-6-0 homestand concluded Saturday night with a 1-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
"I can't just go and tell you all these good things, and then we get on the wrong side, and that's the hard part," Hiller said, according to Sportsnet's Anna Dua. "Guys played their tail off; I don't think anyone's going to question that. I'd like to see them get rewarded, but I'm going to tell you, we deserved better than that from the six-game homestand. And we didn't, so we'll move on to the next one."
The Maple Leafs have been outscored 23-9 on their current skid. They became only the second team in NHL history to finish a homestand of six or more games with zero points, according to Sportsnet Stats.
Saturday's loss also marked Toronto's first six-game regulation losing streak at home since 1985. Overall, the Maple Leafs have two wins in their past 10 games and are eight points back of a wild-card spot at 8-12-2.
"This is a hard thing to go through," Hiller said, per SDPN's Jesse Blake. "But, what's your options? To me, your options are to play your ass off."
The Maple Leafs return to action Tuesday in Chicago.
