Sheldon Keefe criticizes his team after a late collapse and a disappointing loss to the Bruins
On Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against the red-hot Boston Bruins in a game that matched the intensity of an original six classic. Winning four of their last five games, the Bruins managed to keep the Leafs in check, ultimately capitalizing on three crucial turnovers leading to goals and a Bruins win on Hockey Night in Canada.
Giving up what Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe calls "freebies" against the league's top team in a close game is not ideal and certainly a valuable lesson for the Leafs going forward.
With the Leafs up 1-0 in the first period, star defenseman Morgan Rielly would be the Leaf responsible for the first costly turnover. Looking to clear his zone, Rielly fanned on a cross-ice pass that resulted in a Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron connection to tie the game at one. The goal allowed the Bruins to get momentum right before the end of the first, tying the game at one apiece.
The Leafs would regain the lead, going up 2-1 in the second frame before the Bruins would capitalize on another turnover just over three minutes later. Defenseman Conor Timmins attempted to quickly swing the puck across the ice to Rielly in the offensive zone before being picked off by Bruins forward David Pastrnak, who would score at the other end.
With the game eventually being knotted at 3-3 with just under two minutes remaining in the third period, Leafs captain John Tavares made a pivotal turnover at such a key time. The turnover would find it's way onto Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's stick before finding the back of the net and sealing the deal on a Bruins win Saturday night.
Following the loss, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe touched on the team's performance. He was obviously displeased with how the team handled the puck, with giveaway after giveaway, ultimately proving costly. By the end of the game, all he could do was shake his head in disappointment.
"We know we can play with any team in the league, can do it on the road, can do it w/ 3 games in 4 nights. At the same time, you can't beat yourself when you're playing any team in the league, but a team of this caliber, we can't can't give them freebies & we did."
The Leafs have a day off on Sunday as they'll travel back to Toronto, resuming practice on Monday ahead of another important divisional matchup on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. They'll need to limit the number of mistakes they make with the puck if they want to snap their current two-game losing skid.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 15 | 376 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe criticizes his team after a late collapse and a disappointing loss to the Bruins Are the Leafs in the same tier as the Boston Bruins? | ||
| Yes | 202 | 53.7 % |
| No | 94 | 25 % |
| We won't find out until the playoffs | 80 | 21.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
