Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe discusses what the Leafs need to do to beat Florida in Round 2
Now that the dust has settled and the Leafs have emerged as one of 4 teams involved in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, we're about to see what the Buds are made of.
In Round 1, the Leafs were able to dispatch of the same Tampa Bay Lightning team that had been to 3 straight Stanley Cup Finals. In Round 2, they've drawn the Florida Panthers - last year's Presidents Trophy winners and the team that was able to knock of this year's Presidents Trophy winning Boston Bruins in Round 1.
Yesterday, following Leafs practice, Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media and shared what he felt were going to be the keys to any success that the Leafs might have against Florida. Keefe pointed to the Leafs remaining very physical, but also starting a lot better than they did against Tampa as the two most important factors for this Leafs team in Round 2.
"After tonight, there's going to be eight teams remaining, and it's great to be one of those eight out of 32. But we've got to continue to make sure we play with lots of edge. We're looking to have a much better start to this series than we had the last time." - Keefe on what he Leafs need to do to find success in Round 2
Noel Acciari and Luke Schenn are the current hits leaders in the playoffs, so I don't think anyone needs to explain to them how to get the job done and play with "edge". In terms of starting on time, the Leafs surrendered 7 goals to the Lightning in Game 1 last series. Since that time, Ilya Samsonov has played some great hockey for the Buds, so he'll need to continue to track pucks well and not give up any juicy rebounds in the slot.
As for the scoring, with the Leafs' "Core 4", plus Ryan O'Reilly, Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies combining for 52 points against Tampa, the best players certainly played like the best players. The Leafs' best players will need to continue to be their best players in Round 2 against Florida.
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