Frederik Andersen didn't mince words after the Toronto Maple Leafs blew yet another lead Thursday.

For the third time in the past four games, the Leafs were up in the third period but couldn't hold on, this time losing in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Related: Blown leads costing Maple Leafs during shaky January

The setbacks are clearly wearing on the goaltender.

"We've got to regroup, we've got to figure out who wants to commit to playing as a team," Andersen said postgame. "I think we have a few days now until our next game - one day between - but we've got to look at the attitude. We played well enough for two periods, but we've got to find a way to keep the foot on the gas the whole game. We can't be satisfied with two periods."

The game-tying goal came off a shorthanded odd-man rush early in the third period, another bothersome event for Andersen.

"I think it's a lack of effort at certain points and we've got to figure this out if we want to play any meaningful hockey later. We've got to figure it out."

Despite the recent trend, Toronto sits comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division - 12 points up on Detroit in the "race" for that playoff spot. But as far as Andersen is concerned, there's no coasting through any part of the regular season.

"We're sitting pretty good, I think we've got it pretty comfortable, but that can't be any reason for not playing the right way. We've got to be ready when it comes to past the (All-Star) break here. It's going to be a lot tougher with teams trying to catch us. We can't slide like this."

Toronto's next game is Saturday in Ottawa.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs let another lead get away from them on Thursday night.

After mounting a 2-0 advantage in the second period in their clash with the Philadelphia Flyers, the club watched as its gutsy effort was quickly erased with the Flyers tying the game before the third period was four minutes old.

The Maple Leafs took the Flyers to the extra session - which they have done in five of their last six games - but ultimately Sean Couturier had the dagger just 18 seconds in to hand the Maple Leafs their fourth straight loss.

The game was an example of a recent trend that has found its way into the Maple Leafs' game - blowing leads. Thursday marked the fourth time in the last six that the Maple Leafs have coughed up a lead.

Of course, this unfortunate fad is nothing new for the Maple Leafs, as fans might recall the club was notorious last season for giving up leads late in games as well. In fact, the team blew 11 leads of two or more goals in 82 games last season, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton, who defines a blown lead as being when the opposing team is able to secure at least one point.

Luckily for the Maple Leafs, the so-called "pity points" have allowed them to construct a 12-point lead over the next-closest Atlantic club (the Detroit Red Wings), meaning there's no panic in Leaf Land - yet.

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Patrice Bergeron has found his scoring touch to begin 2018.

The Boston Bruins center recorded a hat trick in a win over the New York Islanders on Thursday, only five games after notching his first career four-goal game (Jan. 6 vs. Carolina).

These kinds of outbursts are rare for Bergeron, who had only one career hat trick heading into the new year. He's been a consistent scoring threat over the course of his career, however, averaging 24 goals for every 82 games played.

The latest three goals gave him 278, pushing him past Wayne Cashman for seventh on the Bruins' all-time list - 11 behind Ken Hodge.

"I had a chance to learn from Cash my first few years," Bergeron said postgame, according to the Bruins' Twitter account. "He was a great person, I've heard only great things about him as a player and the way he played the game. It's always great to hear and great honors.

"But at the same time, I'm really worried about what I can control, which is helping my team get some more wins."

The Bruins are indeed winning games, having picked up at least a point in their past 15. Boston now sits only five points back of the NHL-leading Lightning, with one game in hand.

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With a firm grasp on the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights are now looking to claim top spot in the league.

With a commanding 4-1 win over the top-ranked Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, the Golden Knights moved to within a win of the Lightning for the best record in the NHL. What's more, the Golden Knights also have a game in hand on Tampa Bay.

With a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay back in mid-December, Vegas has now swept the season series with the NHL's top club - outscoring the Lightning 8-4.

Don't look now, but if the Golden Knights keep rolling they could just become the first expansion club to capture the Presidents' Trophy.

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With a firm grasp on the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights are now looking to claim top spot in the league.

With a commanding 4-1 win over the top-ranked Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, the Golden Knights moved to within a win of the Lightning for the best record in the NHL. What's more, the Golden Knights also have a game in hand on Tampa Bay.

With a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay back in mid-December, Vegas has now swept the season series with the NHL's top club - outscoring the Lightning 8-4.

Don't look now, but if the Golden Knights keep rolling they could just become the first expansion club to capture the Presidents' Trophy.

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The Philadelphia Flyers retired Eric Lindros' No. 88 on Thursday, forever uniting one of the game's greats with the team he spent his most dominant seasons with, and from which he later infamously parted ways.

Thirteen months after stepping back into the fold by playing with the Flyers at the 50th Anniversary Alumni game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lindros credited two special people for making this particular occasion possible.

"It's no secret that when I left Philadelphia, it was under less than ideal circumstances," Lindros said during his speech. "I believe I'm here today - hockey aside - because of two people: my wife Kina, and (Flyers president) Paul Holmgren. Both in their own ways have taught me to move on, put in the past any differences of opinion, any hurt feelings.

"It was time to remember the great moments I experienced here in Philadelphia, the friendships I have built in this great city, and the respect I have for the fans of this team."

Perhaps Holmgren said it best earlier in the night:

Lindros won the Hart Trophy in 1995 and led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997, amassing big numbers and levying bigger hits along the ways. A series of concussions and subsequent questions over his treatment by the team's medical staff led to an ugly end to his tenure with the club, culminating in a 2001 trade to the New York Rangers that was made by then-general manager, Bobby Clarke.

He appeared in 486 regular-season games for the Flyers, recording 290 goals, 369 assists, and 946 penalty minutes, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.

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Evander Kane's days with the Buffalo Sabres appear to be numbered.

Kane confirmed to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that he won't be re-signed by the Sabres, meaning the winger is set to become one of the bigger prizes at both the trade deadline and in free agency.

From Harrington:

He's in the final year of a six-year, $31.25 million contract he signed with the Winnipeg Jets in 2012 and confirmed to The Buffalo News this week what has been widely assumed: The Sabres have never negotiated with him on a new deal.

The decision, Kane added, appears to be mainly organizational, as he would've been more than willing to talk to general manager Jason Botterill about a contract extension.

"Of course I would have. Absolutely," he said. "I've said from Day One I've really enjoyed the time here. For me, it's a place where I've grown to know more and more about Buffalo. It's been a real great experience for me. I'm just going to continue that until I get told something different."

Kane has recorded 16 goals and 20 assists in 44 games for the Sabres, and is on pace to match his career-high 30 goals while setting a new personal bar in points.

He'll be highly sought after in a trade and later on the open market, but the asking price will likely be set quite high by the Sabres, even if interested teams might only gain his services for the balance of this season.

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The Ottawa Senators' poor season apparently hasn't motivated players to head for the hills.

General manager Pierre Dorion noted to reporters Thursday that no player has requested a trade, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Dorion also said he hasn't shopped any players to other teams - though that's partly because other teams came calling on their own.

"I haven't shopped anyone," Dorion said, according to TSN's Brent Wallace. He added, "We have good players - that's why they (other GMs) are calling."

The Senators currently own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, and are consequently widely expected to be sellers at the trade deadline.

The general manager added that he has not been instructed to shed salary, suggesting a full-scale rebuild isn't currently top of mind.

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When Brian Gionta last played in the Olympics in 2006, his final NHL game before the break allowed him just three days to fly to Italy and get acclimated before suiting up for Team USA.

This time around, the semi-retired U.S. captain and his Olympic teammates will get four whole practice days before opening the tournament against Slovenia on Feb. 14.

''With the NHL setup, you fly over there, you have a small window to practice in and then you're right into the games,'' Gionta said. ''We've had the added benefit of being able to go over to the Deutschland Cup and be together for that week. A lot of the guys that were there are on the team and have a good understanding of each other. But I think that's a nice change, I guess, from previous Olympics.''

Still, the U.S. lost all three games at that tournament in November and didn't score more than two goals in any of them. Preparation under a new coach, learning the nuances and habits of new teammates are certainly key, but every men's hockey team going to South Korea is in a much different situation from any previous Olympics.

Before NHL players began participating in 1998, national teams were centralized and spent months together - much like women's teams do now. In contrast, the past five Olympics featured quick turnarounds when it came to training because so many players were also in the NHL, which decided this time around not to pause its 82-game regular season.

However, no NHL didn't automatically translate into more practice time as the teams were put together.

Almost everyone on an Olympic roster is playing professionally or in college, so there isn't much of an opportunity for training camps - though Canada, Russia and other countries are making the most of any time they have to get together. Russia's Kontinental Hockey League has its final games before the Olympic break Jan. 28, and other European leagues will release players shortly after that so they can prepare.

Chock full of stars from the KHL, including former NHL players Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk, Russia should be the first to have its full team together and will play exhibition games in Moscow on Jan. 30 and Feb. 4. Canada is gathering as many players as possible in Latvia on Jan. 28 and will play two exhibition games there and one more in South Korea before the Olympics begin as it tries to win a third consecutive gold medal.

''We have access to our players very early, and we're going to take advantage of that,'' said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's vice president of hockey operations and national teams. ''We're actually going to simulate the first two games of the Olympics with the ice times and the game times and try to get used to that kind of quick turnaround from a 9 p.m. game and a day off and a noon game.''

Sweden, which has a handful of former NHL players and projected 2018 No. 1 draft pick Rasmus Dahlin , will gather in Seoul for four days of practice before facing Canada on Feb. 12. The Czech Republic will hold training camp in Prague from Jan. 29-Feb. 6 before practicing in Seoul and playing an exhibition game against Finland on Feb. 11, while the Swiss are scheduled to play Germany in Kloten, Switzerland, on Feb. 6 and Norway in Goyang, South Korea, five days later.

USA Hockey general manager Jim Johannson said his team won't play any exhibition games with most U.S. players arriving in South Korea on Feb. 8. Johannson said the U.S. will practice Feb. 10-13 and get in a game-day skate Feb. 14, which coach Tony Granato feels will be enough preparation.

''We've all been parts of multiple tournaments like this, so we're not unfamiliar with them,'' said Granato, who played 49 games with the U.S. national team prior to the 1988 Olympics and currently coaches at the University of Wisconsin. ''A lot of the excitement and build-up leading up to it makes it that much better - you're going to get there, we're going to jump on the ice, we're going to practice and then a few days later we'll be center stage and ready to play.''

Seventeen of the 25 U.S. players were at the Deutschland Cup in November and won't be back on the ice together until nearly three months later. The U.S. women's team? They gathered in Florida in September, played a series of games against top Olympic rival Canada and have been together since.

''It's a huge bonus and a huge advantage to be together all year,'' forward Meghan Duggan said. ''(It's ) a difference from a world championship year, a non-Olympic year where we play with our pro teams and our club teams or college teams and get together for certain periods of time whether it be for world championships or Four Nations Cup or training camp.''

Canada's men's team took part in several Olympic tune-up tournaments for evaluation purposes. GM Sean Burke, who played in goal for Canada in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, is trying to make the most of this hybrid schedule to put coach Willie Desjardins and his team in the best position to succeed.

''We've had a lot of time to not only evaluate our players but have them together to do some team-building and we're going to get a good two-week training camp. I like the process,'' Burke said. ''Our coaching staff can really get down to working on our systems and having everything in place that they're comfortable with. That's a real nice luxury to have.''

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AP Sports Reporters Teresa M. Walker and James Ellingworth contributed.

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Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

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More AP Olympic coverage: https://wintergames.ap.org

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The Boston Bruins are a cornerstone franchise in the NHL.

The Original Six club never seems to be truly out of Cup contention, qualifying for the playoffs 11 out of the last 15 seasons despite personnel changes in the front office, behind the bench, and obviously on the ice.

This year's edition of the Bruins is once again on pace to be playing postseason puck. It's the perfect balance of young and experienced players sprinkled throughout Boston's lineup that should have fans in Beantown already circling dates on the calendar for April, May, and perhaps, June.

The excellent mix of young and veteran players is easiest to see by taking a glimpse at Boston's forward line combinations used in its most recent contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

(Line combinations courtesy: Daily Faceoff)

Every single line has the Bruins' biggest strength on full display: depth.

Boston's ability to roll out four lines allows head coach Bruce Cassidy the luxury of not having to overplay his top-six forward group, a unit that includes players Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron - three key players aged 29 or older.

However, Cassidy augments his aging players by blending guys like David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen into his lineup. Three forwards that are all under the age of 23.

The even mix of age and youth is arguably best exemplified on the back end, where veteran D-man Zdeno Chara and rookie rearguard Charlie McAvoy form the Bruins' top defensive pairing. Big Z and McAvoy are separated in age by exactly 20 years, but that isn't stopping them from forging a chemistry that sees the pair earn over 22 minutes a night, each.

Of course, a well-balanced attack only means something if it translates into tangible success. And luckily for Cassidy and Co., his eclectic mix of players is doing exactly that as the Bruins have been nothing short of sensational over the last two months.

Since Nov. 16, Boston has registered an impressive 19-3-4 record while outscoring opponents at almost a two-to-one clip, earning 58 points to date.

In addition to success in the standings, the Bruins are excelling statistically, and a lot of that stems from their solid power play and penalty kill.

Boston owns the ninth-best PP (21 percent) and PK (83.1 percent) in the league. But, what is perhaps the most impressive stat of them all are the 109 goals the Bruins have allowed this season - good for second least in the NHL.

Goaltender Tuukka Rask has also benefited from the balanced attack in front of him, as the veteran netminder is having one of the best seasons of his 11-year career. Across 29 games this campaign, the 30-year-old goaltender has registered a 16-8-4 record to go along with two shutouts and a sparkling 2.21 goals-against average.

Simply put, Boston is firing on all cylinders, and a lot of it has to do with a deep lineup.

Entering Thursday night's action, the Bruins find themselves sitting pretty with a seven-point cushion on the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. And with a roster so well balanced with youth and experience, Boston could very well continue its assault on the rest of the league well into spring.

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