The Leafs have struggled to score goals over the entire road trip, but perhaps the bigger problem was that they're struggling mightily on defense. A lot of it has to do with confidence, but it would seem that Sheldon Keefe and the players are in two different worlds of thought when it comes to where the team is at from a confidence standpoint.
When asked about the teams struggles right now, Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov said, "We've lost confidence the last 3 games. Hard to say. We don't have more smile." Samsonov's remarks are a far cry from what head coach Sheldon Keefe said following Saturday's loss. "We don't lack confidence as a team. We just have to execute," Keefe told the media in LA.
It's interesting to see how the perspectives differ between Keefe and the team. Unfortunately, there likely won't be much change coming, aside from perhaps some minor roster tweaks, which means it's going to be on the players to build the ladder to climb out of the hole they have dug themselves.
POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 30 | 298 ANSWERS Leafs players and coaching staff have very different answers when asked about confidence, which is concerning Given the team's slow start, how many points do you think they'll finish the season with? | ||
85-95 | 124 | 41.6 % |
96-105 | 126 | 42.3 % |
106-115 | 39 | 13.1 % |
More than 115 | 9 | 3 % |
List of polls |