Auston Matthews, John Tavares cite consistency issues after 'very immature' Leafs blow two-goal lead in loss to Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes came back from a two-goal deficit to win 5-4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday on the road at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs took a 4-2 lead with more than half the game over.

The Hurricanes pulled one goal late in the second period before outscoring the Leafs 22-2 in a dominant third period and scoring twice to secure their fourth straight win. Dennis Hildeby struggled in goal for the Leafs, making 46 saves in the game.

Captain Auston Matthews acknowledged the inconsistency that has become a constant with the Leafs.

“It's been the same, just details and execution,” Matthews said during his postgame presser. (00:05) “I thought we were lucky to have a lead after two. I mean, if it wasn't for (Hildeby), three, four breaks there that we gave up, he made some big saves.

“And just details. I didn't think we won enough puck battles tonight, and just kind of repetitive things that we can't seem to get right or we can't seem to have consistency for a full 60 minutes.”

In the first period, the Leafs took the lead with William Nylander scoring the first goal in 5 minutes. The Hurricanes then responded with two quick-change goals, before the Leafs scored two of their own at 3:30. John Tavares tied the game at 2-2 before Nylander scored his second of the night to lead off the first intermission.

“Well, they're a good hockey team, and they put a lot of pressure on you,” Tavares said. (03:07) “So, at times, we did some really good things, won chances and were able to give ourselves an advantage. And then our game, for whatever reason, becomes very immature and we don't manage the game very well.”

Matthews' second period goal to make it 4-2 wasn't enough as Toronto couldn't hold off Carolina's rally.

“Yeah, I mean, we got a little bit of traction, and then we shot ourselves in the foot again and put ourselves in a tough spot,” Tavares added. “So there's a lot of hockey left to be played. So obviously we've got to bounce back and get ready for the next opportunity and build from there.”

Craig Berube disappointed with the Leafs' overall effort in back-to-back games

On Saturday against the Boston Bruins, the Leafs couldn't build on a high-octane first period that featured 4 goals. Head coach Craig Berube pointed to the glaring recidivism Sunday against the Hurricanes and expressed his disappointment.

“It could be immaturity, not a willingness to make the game easy,” Berube said. (11:40) “Turnover after turnover cost us the game tonight. We didn't check anybody tonight, we didn't win any battles tonight. It's two games in a row.”

The Leafs have now lost twice after a three-game losing streak. They are 8-7-1 and sit third from bottom in the Atlantic Division with 17 points.