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Leafs head coach critical of the team's win in Washington on Tuesday; ''It was not great''

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Mike Armenti
October 25, 2023 (6:21 PM)

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Last night's win over the Washington Capitals was certainly not as dominant as it appeared to be on the scoreboard. While the Leafs skated away with a 4-1 win in enemy territory, it was a combination of the team's leadership group capitalizing on what very few chances they had and a sensational individual effort by Joseph Woll in goal that led to the win.

Following the game, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked what he thought about the win on Tuesday. While you could certainly tell that he wasn't overly pleased with the total effort over 60 minutes, Keefe chose to focus on the positives.

"I would say it was on the backs of very strong goaltending, timely scoring, and a good disciplined third period. At times, it was not great, but there were a lot of things in the third period that we can build on in terms of managing leads." - Keefe on how the Leafs managed to secure the 2 points despite being heavily outshot

When you remove Joseph Woll's 36-save performance from the equation, goals by Morgan Rielly, John Tavares, William Nylander and Auston Matthews were the difference in this one, with only Alex Ovechkin finding a way to beat Woll on his 13th shot of the night. Keefe was very honest during his media availability, emphasizing that the effort on Tuesday was far from the Leafs' best.

"We didn't play a good game here tonight, but did enough good things to put ourselves in a position to win the game. There were a lot of good things in the third period that we can take away in terms of managing a game like this when we do have control. Certainly, our quick-strike ability with our elite players puts us in positions like this to win games even when we are not at our best." - Keefe on the team's star players having the ability to steal games

The Leafs are back in action tomorrow night in Dallas against a Stars team who has not yet lost in regulation. The Stars are 4-0-1 to begin the season, while the Leafs are 4-2-0, albeit with at least 2 wins that just as easily could have been losses. If they want to have any hope of beating the top teams in the league this season, they'll have to commit to showing up on time, taking care of the puck and playing a full 60 minutes. Strange how we're still bringing up the fact that they need to show up on time in the 7th year of this core being together, but here we are.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

Leafs reportedly already engaged in trade talks

Top defensive trade target previously linked to Leafs now out indefinitely with long-term injury

Analyst reveals Joseph Woll as the top goalie in the league through the first 2 weeks

POLL
25 OCTOBRE \| 256 ANSWERS Leafs head coach critical of the team's win in Washington on Tuesday; ''It was not great'' Do you think this team has what it takes to go on a deep playoff run as its currently constructed?
No	131	51.2 %
Yes	47	18.4 %
As long as it's Woll in net, we're fine	51	19.9 %
Only if Matthews stays healthy	27	10.5 %
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