PHILADELPHIA - Ken Hitchcock called it a "good wake-up call." But for a team that had played with an appetite for destruction over the previous 2 weeks and had a chance to re-tie the Rangers for the Atlantic division lead, you wouldn't expect them to need one.

The Flyers couldn't follow up their recent solid performances with one against one of their oldest rivals, The Toronto Maple Leafs. Two early 3rd period goals by the Leafs were the critical factors in a 3-2 loss to Toronto on Tuesday night at the Wachovia Center.

Just 18 seconds into the 3rd, Toronto captain Mats Sundin started the play that would put the Leafs in front for good. A pass to Nik Antropov was followed up by a cross-crease pass to Alexei Ponikarovsky for the slam-dunk goal. Then, less than 2 minutes later, Alex Steen scored the game winner at 2:02 when Matt Stajan's shot was rebounded by Flyers goaltender Antero Niittymaki right to Steen who saw the net yawning right in front of him.

Lackluster forechecking and little sustained pressure in the offensive zone were the main issues for the Flyers. But when the Flyers were able to sustain the puck in Toronto's end, they repeatedly missed the net. 15 missed shots kept the Flyers off the scoreboard even when it looked as though they had Toronto goaltender Jean-Sebatian Aubin solved.

The work ethic that carried the Flyers through wins in 5 of their last 6 games was certainly not present.

"All the work we did in the last few games was great, but to play the way we did tonight is not the way to do it," said Flyers forward Simon Gagne. "The way we played against Jersey, the Rangers, and Ottawa...we had great energy early. It's up to the players to be ready for the game. If only a couple of the guys are ready, and a couple are not, it's not acceptable."

But the Flyers did manage to build a 3rd period effort the likes of which had not been seen since the first 5 minutes of the 1st.

Flyers rookie standout R.J. Umberger did get the Flyers back to within one goal with 4:05 left in regulation. A great feed from Michal Handzus provided the tip-in opportunity for Umberger at Aubin's right. The goal was Umberger 's 15th of the season.

Philadelphia continued to pressure the Leafs through the remainder of the 3rd, and were rewarded for their hard work with a hooking call on Toronto's Darcy Tucker with just 30.3 seconds left. However, there was not enough luck left to account for a game-tying goal for the Flyers.

The Flyers could have really used the points as well, as Gagne noted.

"It was the kind of game that you look back at the end of the season and the two points would have really helped you in the standings."

The Flyers were playing for the chance to tie the New York Rangers, but instead now will risk falling behind as many as six points because the Rangers play on each of the next two nights. Philly is now off until the 1st of April, when they will host the New Jersey Devils.

The loss snapped a 4 game win streak for Philadelphia, and has cast a question mark over the Flyers and their ability to get over the loss.

"It's really up to the players whether this is a bump or a hit (to the team's momentum)," said Hitchcock. "Things were going very well. We made some mistakes today, and the mistake was that we had the wrong attitude to start the game and we couldn't recover. I am hoping that the players realize what we have done and that we continue to move forward so that it is just a bump."

The Flyers did seem to start the game strong, however, and took an early 1-0 lead on a slapshot by defenseman Joni Pitkanen. Pitkanen found himself with a ton of room and time, floated into the high slot, and released a blistering shot that counted for his 12th goal of the season at 3:58.

Toronto would answer at 14:33 when Sundin registered his 21st of the year with a deflection of a point shot by Ian White. A solid screen in front of the net ensured that Niittymaki never had the chance to react to the change in direction.

Niittymaki's performance will no doubt get some talking even further about the Flyers' current goalie contraversy. The majority of the 26 shots he faced were handled nicely as he displayed the calm, solid approach that has gained him some recent favor in the Flyers' fanbase. Niittymaki has now started 4 of the last 5 games for the Flyers, but the loss snapped his 3 game winning streak. Meanwhile, Robert Esche waits not-so-patiently for his next chance to prove himself worthy of the playoff starter job.