Tim Connolly works to feed a beautiful pass across to Phil Kessel, who hits an open net to tie it up.

The Leafs top line cuts through the Caps defense with some great feeds and a Phil Kessel finish.

Phil Kessel pounces on a big rebound and fires home his 13th of the season to tie the game.

Per National Post:

Phil Kessel was still wearing his demotion. It was in the colour of the socks he wore over his shin pads — red, the scarlet mark of a third-liner — and it was in his voice as the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs winger hinted at friction with his head coach.Having gone 10 games without scoring a goal, the 23-year-old was bumped from his spot on the top line on Sunday, moved down to a unit with two hard-working players who began the season in the American Hockey League. Kessel was asked if he had heard any words of encouragement or criticism during the slump from his coach, Ron Wilson.

“No,” he said. “Me and Ron don’t really talk — so that’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

Kessel was also asked about the line changes.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe it’s just not working out here, I guess. Who knows? I can’t get anything going, so maybe it’s time for a change or something. Who knows?”

And with that, the wheels of speculation began to turn. Fans took sides as word began to spread across the Internet, some siding with the player, others siding with the coach, and many wondering what it means for the fate of a team struggling to find its way.

Kessel did not sound like a man demanding a trade, or asking for anyone’s job. When he said it was not working out “here,” it seemed like he was talking about his spot on the top line, and not his spot with the Leafs in general.

And that spot, unquestionably, has not been as productive as hoped. Kessel has been held without a goal since Jan. 11, stuck in his longest drought in a Toronto uniform. Worse, he is minus-22, last on the Leafs and 817th among National Hockey League players.

Wilson benched Kessel for a stretch in the second period of Saturday night’s 6-2 blowout loss in Buffalo. One of his turnovers led to Buffalo’s fifth goal, after he had fallen down.

He skated on a line with Darryl Boyce and Joey Crabb on Sunday. First-line centre  and close friend Tyler Bozak working with Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong. Those combinations are expected to carry into Monday’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers.

“I don’t really know what to say about that anymore,” Kessel said of his slump. “I’m trying. Obviously, it’s not going right. Like I said, it might not be working out here. What are you going to do?”

Wilson was asked if he had spoken with Kessel.

“Phil doesn’t really want to talk much about goal-scoring, or even work on it that much in practice — it’s kind of a touch thing,” he said. “So he comes and goes into these hot streaks [and] cold streaks. Just be patient. Change up the line. It’s a different look. It makes you think, a little bit.”

Kessel has become an enigma in the offensive zone. He has threatened to take over some games during his drought, moving with blinding speed. But he has also looked the opposite, as he did on Saturday.

He broke in alone on Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller early in the second period, but only got about half the force he seemed to want behind his shot. Miller made the save with his pad, and Kessel effectively disappeared.

“When he’s so focused on scoring goals, he’s forgetting the other part of the game,” Wilson said. “If the puck’s not going in and that’s all you’re focused [on], a lot of times you’ll end up not being in the positions you should be in. And that goes for any player.”

Kessel, of course, is not just any player. He is supposed to be the centerpiece in Toronto, a player for whom no small piece of the future has been mortgaged. His prolonged slump had already put Wilson in a difficult position — how do you scratch a flagship? — and his comments on Sunday will probably only turn up the heat.

“At the end of the day, he’s getting the scoring chances, generally — three or four a game — and he’s got to figure out a way to put the puck in the net,” Wilson said. “We want the scoring chances, but a scoring chance that’s failed should not shut you down for the next five or six minutes.”