Good news is, they're humming along at a 104-point pace when competing on at least a day's rest. The bad? Every fifth game on the completed schedule for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been contested on the latter half of a back-to-back.

The Maple Leafs fell to 0-4-1 while dealing with extra lactic acid in their legs, conceding twice in the opening 49 seconds before going on to suffer a 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

"Obviously (we) weren't ready as a team, as a coaching staff, as a goaltender - weren't ready. There's no excuse for that," head coach Mike Babcock said after the game, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

"(It) shows that you're not an upper-echelon team when you can't do it night in, night out," he added.

"Our preparation as a coaching staff, and our preparation as players in the room isn't good enough. We got some work to do."

It was the first time they were shut out under the short-rest condition (and just the second time all season), but the Maple Leafs have opened up a considerable deficit, having been outscored 19-8 over those five games.

Toronto has another 13 sets of back-to-backs on the schedule, and all but one of which involve travel.

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Good news is, they're humming along at a 104-point pace when competing on at least a day's rest. The bad? Every fifth game on the completed schedule for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been contested on the latter half of a back-to-back.

The Maple Leafs fell to 0-4-1 while dealing with extra lactic acid in their legs, conceding twice in the opening 49 seconds before going on to suffer a 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

"Obviously (we) weren't ready as a team, as a coaching staff, as a goaltender - weren't ready. There's no excuse for that," head coach Mike Babcock said after the game, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

"(It) shows that you're not an upper-echelon team when you can't do it night in, night out," he added.

"Our preparation as a coaching staff, and our preparation as players in the room isn't good enough. We got some work to do."

It was the first time they were shut out under the short-rest condition (and just the second time all season), but the Maple Leafs have opened up a considerable deficit, having been outscored 19-8 over those five games.

Toronto has another 13 sets of back-to-backs on the schedule, and all but one of which involve travel.

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In the process of salvaging an important win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, the New York Islanders made a little history.

Three seconds after Anders Lee reclaimed the lead with a deft deflection in front of goaltender Matt Murray, Nikolay Kulemin was on target with an attempt at the empty net from center ice, matching the NHL record for the fastest pair of goals ever scored by one team.

The 1935 St. Louis Eagles and 2004 Minnesota Wild are the only squads in league history to record two goals in three seconds, according to NHL Public Relations.

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Jared Cowen and the Toronto Maple Leafs won't have to wait much longer for an outcome in their contract squabble.

A decision on the case - currently sitting with an arbitrator - is due by Dec. 7, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

In the offseason, the Maple Leafs attempted to buy out the remainder of Cowen's contract - one year, paying $4.5 million. That move left Cowen's camp to cry foul, claiming the blue-liner is ineligible for a buyout due to an injury he sustained last season.

Cowen originally came to the Maple Leafs in a February deal that sent former captain Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa Senators, but never suited up for the club.

The arbitrator's decision leaves a lot of money on the line for Cowen. The Maple Leafs would be on the hook for Cowen's entire salary should the arbitrator rule in his favor. At that point, Toronto could place Cowen on the long-term injured reserve to negate the salary cap charge.

However, should the arbitrator side with the Maple Leafs, the team would be freed of Cowen's contract, but would be penalized with a $750,000 cap hit for each of the next two seasons as a means of the buyout.

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The hockey world runs in small circles.

Prior to Wednesday's AHL match between the San Diego Gulls and Tucson Roadrunners, the Gulls unveiled a "14" decal on their players' helmets, honoring the jersey number of Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham, who collapsed earlier in November.

Cunningham remains in a Tucson hospital and is in critical but stable condition.

The Gulls are the farm team of the Anaheim Ducks, while the Roadrunners are the minor-league affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes.

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Credit Matt Murray for keeping it close.

The Pittsburgh Penguins goalie made a handful of key saves in Wednesday's match versus the New York Islanders, but none better than this diving glove save to stop a near-goal by Islanders captain John Tavares.

So close in fact that it went for review to ensure the puck hadn't crossed the line. The play was ruled a no-goal to the relief of the Penguins.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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The Leafs are actually asleep.

At the jump of the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday night in Calgary, the road-weary Toronto Maple Leafs surrendered two goals to Flames shooters before the ice could set.

Freddie Hamilton opened the scoring 19 seconds into the contest, one-touching a Micheal Ferland feed past Jhonas Enroth as he settled into a soft area in the defensive-zone coverage.

Kris Versteeg doubled the lead 30 seconds later, knocking in a long rebound after Sean Monahan placed a shot on target following an easy entry into the zone.

(Video courtesy NHL.com)

Matt Stajan later added a third first-period goal for Calgary, if you weren't already certain that it wasn't Toronto's night.

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The NHLPA will say no thanks to the NHL's offer to extend the current collective bargaining agreement in exchange for NHL player participation at the 2018 Olympics, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.

NHLPA executive director Don Fehr is expected to reject the informal proposal next Wednesday, ahead of December's meeting of the NHL Board of Governors.

The CBA expires in 2022, with an opt-out clause for 2020, which must be triggered the year prior. The NHL can opt out of the CBA at that time, but should it choose not to do so, that right then goes to the players' association.

It's believed that escrow payments remain a major sticking point from the players standpoint ahead of the next round of CBA negotiations.

Should the NHL forgo the 2018 Games, that won't stop Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who has said he will go to Pyeongchang, even without the participation or permission of the NHL.

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As he so expertly does, Mike Babcock has not so subtly let another group know that he thinks they could do their jobs more effectively.

Asked about his penalty kill's clean performance versus the Edmonton Oilers a night earlier, the Toronto Maple Leafs coach took the opportunity to implicitly blast one officiating team - and potentially infiltrate the collective conscious of another.

"You obviously don't want to be in the box, but I see who's refereeing tonight, and there will be way less penalties in tonight's game," Babcock said Wednesday, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "That's the one thing about it, when you arrive at the rink you know whether there's going to be penalties or not."

So then the question Wednesday night in Calgary as the Maple Leafs complete the second half of their back-to-back: Can this group be cajoled, or will they stick up for their brethren by sticking it to Babcock?

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Pull up your socks.

That's the message from Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan to a group of players, including forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whose lagging production has been a key factor in the team's recent skid.

After a terrific start to the season, in which the Oilers won seven of eight, the team has won just five of its last 16 games and no longer sits atop the Pacific.

Suddenly, there is a creeping possibility that the Oilers could once again miss the postseason dance, marking the 11th consecutive season, which would surpass an NHL record set by the once lowly Florida Panthers.

The Oilers' record hasn't been as strong in recent weeks, and part of that reflects Nugent-Hopkins' performance, who has scored just 10 points - a career-low 0.42 points per game this season.

"It's too early to analyze based on standings," McLellan told reporters following practice Wednesday. "If I'm a fan, I'm analyzing based on performance, and I wouldn't be very pleased with our performance over the last few games. There is no doubt that (Nugent-Hopkins) is one of those players that needs to pick his socks up and give us better performances."

As for Nugent-Hopkins, the young center believes he's gotten away from the defensive game that brought him success early in the season and at the World Cup as part of Team North America.

"I think there have been a few mistakes that I've made that have cost us, and then it looks like you're not playing well defensively," Nugent-Hopkins told reporters. "I need to get back to that same mindset I had at the start of the year, obviously defense-first, and being sharp all the time. One little breakdown can cost you."

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