Sheldon Keefe highlights one area of Domi's game that he believes has vastly improved
Photo credit: NHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs steam-rolled the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights last night with four goals in the first period en-route to a 7-3 win. Two of the Leafs seven goals came courtesy of Max Domi. While he isn't considered to be very good on the defensive side of the puck, since being moved to the second line alongside William Nylander, he has played very well in that area, which led to his second goal last night.
Following his two-goal performance, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked about Domi's play since being placed with Nylander and he was very keen on pointing out Domi's defensive growth the past few games.
"He has been great. He has been working. Today, he scores great goals for us, but his checking defensively coming back, tracking, getting back above the puck, and using his speed and tenacity to close plays defensively have been tremendous. That is going to allow him to continue to play a role in a situation like that. When he is skating and competing at that level, he can play against anybody in the league. We can see what he can contribute offensively, whether it is scoring as he has tonight or if it's making plays and facilitating for others."
Domi has been criticized most of the season for his lack of offensive production, but appears to have turned a corner as he has 4 points in his last 4 games and 5 in his last 8 games. Through 56 games, he has 7 goals and 29 points for the Leafs. It appears that Keefe is willing to give the combination of Domi, Nylander and Tyler Bertuzzi an extended look so long as they continue to play well together.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 23 | 749 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe highlights one area of Domi's game that he believes has vastly improved Was the Leafs' effort against Vegas their best game of the season? | ||
| Yes, they should play every game like that | 565 | 75.4 % |
| No, Vegas had 4 AHL forwards | 184 | 24.6 % |
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