Sheldon Keefe slams the Leafs following 6-2 loss to Ottawa, criticizes the team for hanging Samsonov out to dry

If you were to ask Sheldon Keefe what he might have done differently following last night's loss to the Ottawa Senators, I'm sure he'd have a laundry list of things to tell you. The team played an uninspired, lackluster, lazy game against a Sens team who pushed from whistle to whistle. In the end, the 6-2 score reflected the Leafs' listless performance.

Yes, the Leafs had their chances. Yes, they had their moments in the game where they were pushing back. But, for the most part, from the 2nd period on, the game belonged to the Sens and not necessarily because the Sens earned it - but because the Leafs simply gave them too many chances and couldn't effectively clear pucks and convert on their own chances.

For Ilya Samsonov, I'm sure he's going to try to shoulder a lot of it for allowing 6 goals, but the coach's message coming out of last night's loss is not one directed at his goaltender in any way, shape or form. Keefe believes that the team sewered Samsonov all night long and so does Morgan Rielly.

Samsonov was originally supposed to have the night off, but after taking warm-ups, confirmed starter Matt Murray had to withdraw from the contest, due to some sort of a "flare-up" of an injury that the team confirms Murray had recently suffered. As a result, Samsonov, who was not prepared to start, had to try to make the best out of a bad situation. Unfortunately, it never worked out that way.




You could certainly argue that Samsonov has come in and stolen games for the Leafs this season. This past week alone, he's out-dueled Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin and Connor Hellebuyck, picking up big wins over the Rangers, Islanders and Jets. To put forth that type of effort in front of him and allow him to be taken to the cleaners by the Sens - it was frustrating to watch.

The Leafs continue to struggle with the puck-clearing aspects while they've been under pressure in their own zone. On a number of occasions last night, the Leafs had ample time and space to be able to clear the zone, only to make poor decisions that led to sustained pressure from the Sens in the Leafs' zone. That simply can't happen - especially when the playoffs roll around. And, as we all know, the regular season is where you build your playoff habits. The Leafs will need to do better than that if they hope to exorcize their demons when the playoffs roll around in April.