Sheldon Keefe explains controversial goaltending decision
It might seem a little strange that the Toronto Maple Leafs opted to hand Martin Jones starts in back to back nights, especially considering the fact that Dennis Hildeby would be in line to make his NHL debut against a struggling Anaheim Ducks team.
The decision might be even more puzzling when you factor in the notion that Sheldon Keefe routinely went back to Ilya Samsonov on games where they weren't playing on back to back nights when he was struggling and Jones was playing far better.
However the head coach explained his decision and felt that it was the right call based on the team needing to build momentum after having dropped 5 of their previous 6 games before last night's shutout victory.
"From our end, we're trying to build some positive momentum as a team and we had a good team effort last night," Keefe said of the decision.
"The way things have gone for us of late, it made for an easy decision," He said.
Jones played lights out last night in his return to Los Angeles, shutting out his former club while making 31 stops along the way. Keefe had intimated prior to the game that he had yet to make a decision for the following night and based on how well Jones played, he thought it was the right call.
"It's hard for us to have that conversation on one end and then go with the goalie that has never played in the league when you've got another guy coming off a shutout" Keefe reasoned. "In these types of games, we have to be ready and we have to be sharp."
The Maple Leafs have a home-and-home upcoming against the 32nd ranked San Jose Sharks on the 6th and 9th of January. Keefe mentioned that he wants to get Hildeby some experience at some point but also didn't want to take the Ducks lightly. Nevertheless a game against the Sharks should be on the table for the 22-year-old - perhaps even in front of the home crowd on the 9th of January.
