The Boston Bruins are one loss away from tying a franchise-worst home losing streak that has stood for 85 years, but they shouldn't have trouble avoiding that mark if the Toronto Maple Leafs play like they did in their last outing.

The two clubs meet on Thursday in Boston, with the Bruins clinging to eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and the Maple Leafs coming off a 5-1 beating against Carolina in their first game since the Olympic break.

Toronto general manager Brian Burke took time out from discussing Wednesday's trade deadline and described himself as "bewildered and furious" with what he witnessed against the Hurricanes.

"There should be a lot of people worried about where they're going to play next year, that should be a factor," said Burke. "The pride of putting on a uniform and playing in our league should be a motivating factor."

Burke spared no part of his team's game and even got in a slight dig on the fans, describing the atmosphere in the building as "flat."

The Leafs continued to prepare for the future this week, trading away veteran forwards Alexei Ponikarovsky and Lee Stempniak for younger players and draft picks.

"We had a whole week to get ready and I can be the first to blame for that," said goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Giguere had shutouts in his first two starts with the Leafs but has since dropped three in a row, allowing 12 goals.

John Mitchell scored Toronto's lone goal, with just over four minutes left in the game.

Lee Stempniak, who assisted on the goal, the next day joined Alexei Ponikarovsky as veteran forwards leaving Toronto this week in trades for draft picks.

They follow Jason Blake, Matt Stajan and Niklas Hagman, who were dealt earlier this season.

With the Ponikarovsky deal, the Leafs do not have a single player on their roster who has scored 100 career NHL goals.

Kessel a bright spot

Taking Phil Kessel out of the equation, the 18 other Toronto skaters who are roster candidates for Thursday's game have combined for a total of 58 NHL goals in nearly 700 games this season.

Kessel has been one of the few bright spots for the team, with the most legitimate criticism being about his performance against his former team. The right wing hasn't notched a point in three games with the Bruins, with a –3 rating.

Boston's has its own problems and can't take much comfort in those numbers. The Bruins are 0-7-3 in their last 10 games at home, scoring just 15 times during that span.

The team's last home win wasn't even in its own building, but rather the 2-1 victory over Philadelphia at Fenway Park on New Year's Day. The last win at TD Banknorth Garden came on Dec. 30.

The Bruins were holding a 1-0 lead over Montreal at home on Tuesday night when the roof caved in, with the Canadiens scoring four goals in the last 10 minutes.

"You could tell we hadn't played in a couple of weeks," said Bruins coach Claude Julien, whose team begins a seven-game road trip Saturday.

The record of 11 home losses in a low was set in the franchise's inaugural season of 1924-25.

Boston's trade deadline day could only be described as lateral movement. The team sent veteran defenceman Derek Morris to Phoenix and acquired defenceman Dennis Seidenberg from Florida.

The Bruins saved about $1 million US in switching players and get Seidenberg, who has an NHL-best 179 blocked shots and has a bit more offensive upside than Morris.

Some local media immediately grilled general manager Peter Chiarelli on Wednesday after the deadline, as Seidenberg was available as a free agent last summer when Morris was signed.

Boston had won seven straight games the Leafs, including two this season, before losing to Toronto 2-0 on Dec. 19.