An unexpected loss derailed the Toronto Maple Leafs from their hottest stretch of the season, but a return home could again right the ship.

The Maple Leafs look for their NHL-leading 15th home win when they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

Goaltender Jonathan Bernier will get the nod in net for the Maple Leafs.

Toronto (19-10-3) had won six consecutive games before Thursday's 4-1 loss at lowly Carolina. The stretch included quality wins over Vancouver, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Detroit (twice) due in large part to phenomenal goaltending.

Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer combined for a league-best .956 save percentage Dec. 6-16 and allowed 1.67 goals per game.

Star forwards Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk also played well during the streak, with each picking up seven points.

But on Thursday, neither the goaltending nor the scoring were present.

"We got outworked. It's as simple as that," coach Randy Carlyle said. "We didn't do enough to give ourselves a chance, and when we finally got back into the hockey game we took ourselves out with some undisciplined acts.

"I don't think we were mentally ready to go out and play the type of game that was required. Simple as that."

The Maple Leafs' struggles against lesser competition has become an alarming trend. Five of their eight losses since the start of November have come against teams currently with a .500 or worse record - a description that also fits the Flyers (11-14-6).

"There are games where some are going to be easier to be jacked up more for than others," Van Riemsdyk told Toronto's official website. "But our job as hockey players is to get ready for everyone the same, is to prepare the same and hopefully be ready to play."

A return to the Air Canada Centre could re-energize the Maple Leafs. Since opening the season 1-4-0 in Toronto, they have won 13 of 16 there and the last five.

Philadelphia has failed to string together much success, proven again by its just-completed four-game homestand. After knocking off New Jersey and Carolina, the Flyers fell to Tampa Bay on Tuesday and in a shootout to Florida on Thursday.

They scored once in each loss after totaling nine goals in the two wins.

"We gotta stay positive in this locker room," captain Claude Giroux told the team's official site. "If we do, we're gonna start winning. We're gonna start believing that we are a playoff team and when we do, we're gonna be pretty dangerous."

The Flyers saw their streak of eight games with a power-play goal come to an end Thursday. They rank near the top of the league with 25 goals on the power play but own one of the worst penalty-kill percentages at 75.5.

Goaltender Steve Mason suffered an upper-body injury during Friday's practice and will miss Saturday's game for the Flyers. Starting in his place will be Ray Emery, who beat the Devils 4-1 in his last start Dec. 11 after losing his previous four behind a 4.35 goals-against average.

He'll face the NHL's top offense as the Maple Leafs average 3.38 goals.

Toronto won the first two meetings last season before losing 4-2 in Philadelphia on March 28.