Maple Leafs players share positive assessment despite loss to Flyers

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost again. On Monday, Craig Berube's team fell 3-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shutout.

Despite the defeat, Toronto looked visibly better than in its three previous games, all of which it also lost. This feeling was shared by both forward William Nylander and defenseman Brandon Carlo.

After the game, Nylander, 29, said, "I think today was a step in the right direction. That's what we want to keep building off."

For his part, Carlo, 29, pointed out that he has noticed, in general, better performance and that this will help the team stay positive for the rest of the regular-season games.

"I think overall we looked at our complete game, and we liked it a lot more. We did a lot of things better. We were moving the puck up faster and creating good zone time, so I really liked the effort from our group tonight. It's definitely a step in the right direction," he said.

"Right now, everyone is just trying to stay positive. It's not easy during a stretch like this, but we have a great group in here that cares about each other. We're playing for the guy next to us, and we just have to keep giving our best effort."

Maple Leafs see progress in loss to Flyers

Certainly, Toronto looked better. The Leafs recorded 31 shots on goal, compared to 25 for the Flyers. Additionally, they won 59.3% of faceoffs (32-of-54) and recorded 26 hits, compared to Philadelphia's 19.

Berube's men were more dominant than their rivals in terms of control and physical strength. It's good news, but either way, they lost, and the chances of qualifying for the playoffs remain slim.

The Maple Leafs will face the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark on Wednesday.