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Keefe surprisingly hostile towards his team following uninspired effort in Philly
Photo credit: NHL
After just 19 seconds, the Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves trailing the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 last night and it's a deficit that they would never erase. By the end of 40 minutes they were down 3-0. They were able to play their way to a third period comeback that they nearly completed, but in the end, the team just could not capitalize on their chances, hitting 6 or 7 posts in the contest.
As has been a common trend with this team in recent years, the Leafs didn't play a full 60 minutes, which was the story in Philly. Starting on time and playing hard and fast from whistle to whistle is the only surefire method for finding consistency. Unfortunately, this team has taken way too long to learn this lesson and now, they've lost back-to-back outings for the first time since mid-January.
You knew following the loss that Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was going to be upset with his team's effort in Philly - especially with the
Flyers having scratched captain Sean Couturier for the game - but I don't think anyone expected him to be as brutal towards his team as he was during his post-game press conference. Keefe absolutely tore a strip off the team while speaking with reporters.
Flyers having scratched captain Sean Couturier for the game - but I don't think anyone expected him to be as brutal towards his team as he was during his post-game press conference. Keefe absolutely tore a strip off the team while speaking with reporters.
"We weren't sharp mentally. Couldn't pass the puck, couldn't handle the puck. Didn't defend. Didn't compete, so not a lot to like. I didn't like anybody tonight. Forward, defense, goaltending. Didn't like anybody."
It was a very sloppy game all around for the Leafs. As Keefe said, they could not complete a clean pass, gave up far too many odd-man rushes against one of the fastest teams in the league, and had some bad puck luck.
The Leafs won't have time to dwell on their poor efforts last night as they are back in action tonight in Washington, taking on the Capitals. Judging by Keefe's comments, it seems more likely than not that we'll have some lineup changes coming tonight. The big question is, will Keefe's comments motivate his team to play better or deflate his team and lead to a repeat of last night's performance.
| POLL | ||
MARS 20 | 516 ANSWERS Keefe surprisingly hostile towards his team following uninspired effort in Philly How concerned are you about the Leafs potentially slipping into a Wild Card spot? | ||
| Very concerned. This is the wrong time to lose | 197 | 38.2 % |
| Not concerned at all. They'll be fine | 207 | 40.1 % |
| Mildly concerned | 76 | 14.7 % |
| A Wild Card spot might actually be better | 36 | 7 % |
| List of polls | ||
