new heartbreak,Head coach of the Toronto Maple,Sheldon Keefe’s, announced his resignation due to the coming back of…
Sheldon Keefe’s tone was very different from what it had been less than a day before when he addressed the media on Friday.
After his team’s 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs was largely silent during a very short post-game press conference.
When the clubs play Game 3 on Sunday, with Toronto trailing 0-2 and having to travel for the next two games, Keefe stated his team has faith in extending the series.
“We don’t have any doubts in our group,” he said over Zoom to reporters. “The two games we played here are in the past, so obviously there are things we need to improve on and would have preferred to handle better.
Based on the outcomes of our previous series, we have the chance to venture out on the road where we feel competent and at ease. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make things any simpler.”
After drawing the score at 2-2, Toronto gave up two goals and lost the first game of the series 4-2.
The Leafs built an early 2-0 lead in Game 2 and maintained that advantage into the second half. However, the Panthers took the lead early in the middle stanza thanks to two goals in a 47-second span, and Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky repeatedly denied Toronto’s opportunities to tie the game.
Goalie Ilya Samsonov (35) of the Toronto Maple Leafs watches the last minutes of the game on Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Toronto during third period NHL second round playoff hockey action against the Florida Panthers from the bench pulled for the extra skater. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
The Leafs are currently 3-0 away from home and 1-4 at home during the postseason.
“I wish I knew the solution. When asked about the team’s home performances on Thursday, forward Ryan O’Reilly responded, “I think if we did, we’d be in a better position.” “Obviously, we’re all disappointed since a 2-0 deficit is not what we wanted.
There is still a lot of hockey remaining in this lengthy series, so we must continue to improve our game. I’m not concerned.
Toronto lost 7-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning to start their first-round series, but they bounced back with three straight wins to win in six games. Three of those victories came in overtime while traveling.
According to Keefe, the struggles have molded the team’s resilient attitude toward hardship.
“Our team has shown resilience. In the previous series, we saw that toughness you speak of,” Keefe remarked. “The boys persevere and find a way even when we’re losing games.
“I think it would be a very similar type of mindset and approach.”
With a solid forecheck and Bobrovsky’s efforts, the Panthers had found their rhythm. In Game 4 of their first-round series victory over the Boston Bruins, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner reclaimed his starting position, which he had lost late in the regular season.
After losing Game 4, Bobrovsky has guided Florida to five consecutive victories.
“Well, there’s always more that we could do, for sure,” Keefe replied. “Whether there are bullets in traffic and other situations to be able to continue making his life more difficult in that way,.
“Compared to the last series, we have had a lot more very clean looks where it’s just the shooter versus the goaltender. Therefore, we must also figure out how to improve on those.”
Keefe acknowledged that the Panthers’ forecheck has given the Leafs problems, especially in Game 2.
“They’re one of the premier forechecking teams in the NHL in the regular season, and that’s carried forward into the playoffs,” he stated. “We’ve been trying very hard to avoid making such major mistakes, so it was upsetting that some of our turnovers yesterday put us in some really poor situations.
“Florida, with the way that they’re playing and how they forecheck and how they transition, perhaps more importantly, when they get the puck back, it makes it that much more dangerous.”
This postseason, the Panthers have a 1-2 record at home and a 5-1 away record.
Though they were excited to feel the passion of their home crowd, head coach Paul Maurice stated the team didn’t feel “rich and royal.”
He said to reporters via Zoom on Friday, “We haven’t felt like we’ve dominated the game in any of our last nine games, so if we just play our game, we should win.” Therefore, even if we prevailed, we wouldn’t leave the rink yesterday night thinking, “Man, we really gave it to those guys.”
