A day after blowing a three-goal lead in a disappointing 6-5 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle was blunt about the stress that comes from a game like the one played Wednesday night.
"I don't sleep well - I get stress headaches," he told reporters. "I get a lot of things that you guys probably never experienced.
"There's an adrenaline that comes with (coaching), but also pretty big lows & things like last night bring you to earth in a hurry."
Of the problems coming out of Wednesday night's loss was the Leafs' inability to generate offence in the third period, as Toronto didn't register a single shot in the third period and in overtime.
Needless to say, 25 minutes of shot-less hockey didn't sit well with Carlyle. Asked if he ever had a shot-less period as a player or a coach, Carlyle was again a 'matter-of-fact' about it.
"Probably," he said. "Forgot about it in a hurry, though."
Carlyle looked to the "snowball effect with the penalties," that the Leafs took in a game that saw them outchance the Penguins 11-9 after two periods before their offensive collapse in the final frame. Three of the Penguins' five goals in regulation were scored on the power play, meaning a defensive effort was also wanting for the second game in a row. The Leafs took a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Air Canada Centre on Monday night.
"Obviously, we've given up 11 goals in two games and that's not going to cut it," said Carlyle. "That's not going to work in the NHL."
Still, Carlyle is convinced that his team can be better and knows that it's his job as coach to ensure that it will.
"We're salesmen, simple as that - coaches - and we're selling a program that we believe in," he explained. "We can play to a higher level."
The Leafs will next have the opportunity to find that level on Friday night when they visit the Buffalo Sabres.
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