Keefe and Samsonov discuss the importance of the upcoming holiday break after partial collapse against Philly

With the afternoon game yesterday, the Leafs enter the Christmas break early, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Leafs lost Rasmus Sandin to a neck injury during Tuesday's game and will need the break before being re-evaluated and Ilya Samsonov has struggled in his most recent starts. Not to mention the fact the Leafs have played essentially every other day since the beginning of the month. Following the game yesterday, Sheldon Keefe commented on the upcoming break, calling it "vital".

"The schedule is not easy. So, the time to breathe and recover and have some fun and be with your family, I think is terrific. And it's needed," said Keefe, after mentioning he was going to see his kids play hockey last night because of the early game.

In his last two starts, Samsonov has posted save percentages of .821 and .842 - a far cry from his back-to-back shutouts just a week ago (not that he's expected to post a shutout every game). Smiling while talking to reporters, Samsonov recognized his struggles saying, "Sometimes we have bad days, yeah. It's life. I will be back on the 27th and do a little bit of work on my mental [health] in the Christmas break. Maybe fishing. New energy. New power."

The Leafs will return from the Christmas break and end the year on a three game road trip that begins on the 27th in St Louis, before venturing to Arizona and Colorado.