The Leafs wound up their annual California road trip with a 5-3 loss last night to the L.A. Kings. The game started off looking hopeless, but then the Leafs started a comeback, however it wasn’t enough to dig up out of the whole they had dug down.

Recap: The Leafs dig their own grave vs the Kings in a 5-3 loss

If you haven’t checked ahead in the schedule: it’s brutal.

The Leafs are now in the middle of playing seven games in eleven days, including multiple timezone changes, long flights, and ending with back-to-back home and away games against the Bruins. This is a seriously grueling part of the season, and it’s November, WHEN IT MATTERS!

The Leafs next game is Saturday against the Blues who lead the Central division with a 10-3-1 record.

ICYMI

3 Ways to beat the Ottawa Senators' 1-3-1 forecheck - Janik
Yes, it's possible.

You have a chance to see little-known prospect Vladislav Kara this month - Katya
Vladislav Kara, last summer’s fourth-round pick of the Maple Leafs, has made the final roster for the Canada-Russia series.

The Rocket didn’t go off in the Marlies’ first visit to Laval - Katya
Johnsson exploded like a rocket.

Other News

So the Habs lost again. As one of the supposed Stanley Cup favourites, you can imagine their fans are going through many stages of grief, which lead to some really weird statements, like this one.

Also, Price is playing awful and it seems like he is playing worse now  than he did before. His lateral movement opens up many holes, he is  cheating on passes, pucks are squeezing through him. Right now, I don’t  think it’s him just going through a bad stretch because there are a lot  of technical flaws. I really think that the pads he is wearing has  something to do with it. He is wearing similar style of pads that Quick  wears. I think that these pads are more suited for aggressive goalies  that move laterally a lot. Price is more of a composed goalie that uses  his size and positioning to make saves which is why I think he should go  back to last year’s pads because they suit more to his style of play. Posted by Habby4Life on Nov 2, 2017 | 11:12 PM

I don’t even...

Conor Sheary’s name has been mispronounced all along - PensBurgh
It’s actually SHARE-E. Who knew? Apparently, no one.

Trading Reinhart Could Save the Rebuild - Die By The Blade
[Species: Wait. Buffalo is doing a rebuild?]

The Stars Have the League’s Most Lethal Power Play but There’s a Catch - Defending Big D
The Stars are shooting at an unheard of 30 percent. That’s nearly double the league average (17 percent). But there's a catch.

Jeff Gorton Is Leaving Vigneault In No Man’s Land - Blueshirt Banter
Less than 48 hours after rumors surfaced that if the Rangers lost the coach would be handed his pink slip -- MSG cameras panned to Alain Vigneault after every memorable moment.

Oh, Patrik “number one” Laine. When you watch this, you’re first like... ‘Ugh that beard. Come on.’ But, then, after watching about 60 seconds, you finally notice the moustache. And then...

<screaming noises>

From The Branches