Sheldon Keefe evaluated his team’s performance after the defeat in the opening playoff game in Boston

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had little reason to be happy after their 1-5 loss to Boston. In his post-game evaluation, he told what his team needs to work on, as the offense was silent in the opening game and the defense and goaltending did not perform well at all.

Too many mistakes in defence

The Toronto coach certainly didn’t have much to be happy about in his post-game interview. Even before the game, it was expected to be a very evenly matched game. The hockey experts mostly agreed that this series would come down to a seventh game.

However, the first game of this closely watched series, not only in the NHL but also in the eyes of Czech fans, was clearly for the home team from Boston. The Boston team took the lead in the series 1:0. Sheldon Keefe commented on Samsonov’s performance, who was the target of jeers from the home fans.

According to him, the game was already breaking down in the first period. Toronto made too many defensive mistakes and unnecessary exclusions followed. Power plays, especially in the playoffs, are punishing and Boston showed that what didn’t work in the regular season is completely different in the playoffs and it was the numerical advantage that was the key factor in this game. The Bruins players were able to use them abundantly.

The Toronto coach also stressed that at this stage of the season, mistakes like 2-on-1s, indiscipline and others must not happen. In addition, he also criticized too much laxity on the puck. He continued with the suspension of Domi, which was completely unnecessary, and also with the fact that the team was missing the experienced Nylander.

He commented on Samsonov’s performance that he had a very difficult time in this game. He caught a few tough shots, but when you play for a long time at a numerical disadvantage, goals fall and he didn’t credit him with any. Now Toronto has two days to fix the problems that were evident in this game.

The coach will have to inject new blood into the team’s veins and above all instill discipline, not again play mindless hockey full of unnecessary fouls. It was also mentioned with exaggeration that he was thinking of ”kidnapping” Swayman, who was catching well.

Anyway, Keefe has a huge offensive force at his disposal that didn’t get as much space in this game. And that’s mostly due to the unnecessary exclusions that decided the game in the Bruins favor. It’s only a matter of time before the offense gets going. The Maple Leafs certainly don’t want to play at home with a two-game losing streak.

Source: NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs