As they focus on ending a four-game losing streak, the Maple Leafs had the benefit of a rare four-day break between games - not playing again after Monday's 5-3 loss to Buffalo until Saturday's home tilt with Pittsburgh. The time off - including two days off Tuesday and Thursday - is intended by Leafs management to allow players to reset and refocus for the 14 games that remain in the regular season schedule. And coming up against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, they'll need all the focus and energy they can muster.

"We have three days off in six days, It's something we planned into our schedule once the league came out with the schedule to set it up so the guys could get recharged," Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told media Wednesday after the team practiced at its workout facility in Etobicoke. "We also feel we can get skating way better as a group, and that's a huge priority for us. They had a good freshen-up day yesterday, they'll get one again tomorrow, get a good practice in before we play Pittsburgh and then we're going to have another follow-up day. Our sports science team feels that's our best opportunity to freshen our group up for the stretch drive."

"Today was a work day," added blueliner Morgan Rielly. "We had some things we wanted to improve on, and I think we did that today. It's important that the guys get their rest. We have a day off tomorrow, then we come back and have another good practice before we play (the Pens, who are) a great team. So it's important that we do the things we have to do to take care of our bodies."

The Buds have been without the services of centre Auston Matthews during their losing streak, and while they've played well without the sophomore earlier in the season, it was refreshing to see the youngster back practicing with his teammate Wednesday. Blueliner Morgan Rielly says that, whenever Matthews returns - be it Saturday or sometime shortly thereafter - his talents will be an instant boost for the rest of the roster.

"It's great," Rielly said of seeing Matthews at practice. "He's been (in Toronto) working extremely hard, but it can be tough when you're away from the team. I certainly know that. And so it's good to get back around him and him around the guys. All good things."

It wasn't all good things in Toronto's loss to the Sabres. For the second straight game, the Leafs surrendered five goals to their opponents, and as teams gear up for the playoffs, five goals is a number that isn't going to lock up many victories. And although a few of Buffalo's goals came on good puck-luck bounces, Rielly said there are more structural components of Toronto's game that need improvement before they take to the ice against the talented Penguins.

"When you watch the video, there's a lot of things we've got to do better in," Rielly said of Monday's loss. "Granted, those goals were a little bit of bad luck for sure, but there's lots of areas within the game that we can improve on from that game."

Nine of Toronto's remaining games will be played at the ACC, where the Leafs are a stellar 22-8-2 this season. However, in the race to decide home-ice advantage in the post-season, the Buds will need to be just as successful if they want to clear the best path to a deep playoff run. Right now, it's about ending the losing skid and demonstrating, as they've done before, that they can be a defensively-sound, offensively-opportunistic squad that can compete with any team in the league.

"We were on a real good run there for quite a period of time, and just like most good runs, even though you don't believe it, (and) you don't want it to, they come to an end and (you) usually dip a little bit no matter what you do," Babcock said. "And then you've got to fight your way back. And so we're at the 'fight-your-way-back' stage obviously, and to get on another run. And we've been good at getting these (losing spells) to be pretty short, and we've got to do that again."