Keefe raves about Matt Murray's goaltending and the Leafs' team defense
After defeating the Detroit Red Wings last night, the Leafs are now 10-1-3 in the month of November with just Wednesday's game against San Jose remaining on the November schedule. They return home after sweeping their 4-game road trip and have now won their last 6 road games. It has been no easy feat for the Leafs as they have been without three of their top four defensemen the majority of the month, but they have made the most of their opportunities and are currently the seventh best defensive team at 5-on-5 in the NHL.
Following the Leafs' big win in Detroit, Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media and touched on how playing as a team rather than as individuals has made the Buds better.
"The team game is making everybody better. There are a lot of teams that deal with a lot of injuries and find a way to win. We're a good enough team that we're going to find our way on the right side of it," said Keefe when asked about how injuries have impacted the blueline. The Leafs have deployed 11 or 12 defensemen so far this season and, to everyone's surprise, they've all played really well. As we all know, that's been a rarity with this team over the years.
"Detroit came at us hard and made life hard on us to get out of our zone in particular, but our goaltending was outstanding again, as it has been all trip. We defended way too much, but especially in periods two and three, we did not give up the big chance," said Keefe of the team's ability to break out of their own zone. Thankfully Matt Murray continued his "outstanding" play, as Keefe put it, since returning from injury. He stopped 42 of 44 shots last night and is now 5-1-1 with a 2.44GAA and ridiculous .927 save percentage.
Previously on Maple Leafs Daily
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 29 | 655 ANSWERS Keefe raves about Matt Murray's goaltending and the Leafs' team defense What has been most impressive about the Leafs this season? | ||
| Goaltending | 329 | 50.2 % |
| Defense | 144 | 22 % |
| Four forward in the top-20 for league scoring | 77 | 11.8 % |
| Marner's 17-game point streak | 105 | 16 % |
| List of polls | ||
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