‘Hated lots about our game’: Keefe rips Leafs
Sheldon Keefe took just four questions Tuesday night.
The Maple Leafs head coach still got a lot off his chest.
A steaming Keefe ripped Toronto’s “immature” performance over the final two periods of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils that followed a dominant start. The Leafs led 25-10 on the shot clock after 20 minutes, but trailed 2-1 against one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams off the rush.
With the home side’s structure in tatters coming out of the intermission, the Devils capitalized on a boatload of errors.
“Instead of having a strong [second] period and building on it and continuing to do the things that we had done well, I thought we just overdid it,” Keefe said. “Really immature all the way through our game.
“It was immature from our most experienced players and our leaders, and then our players who are immature — our inexperienced guys — made lots of mistakes.”
Jake Allen was stellar in stopping 42 shots for New Jersey (36-33-4), which has won four of five as the club makes a late surge for a playoff spot.
“Tiring,” he said of his first period. “But over the course of 82 games, there’s going to be times like that against a really good offensive team.”
Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists, Jack Hughes scored twice — including into the empty net — and Timo Meier added a goal and an assist for the Devils. Luke Hughes and Max Willman provided the rest of the offence, while Jesper Bratt chipped in three assists.
“Our goalie played phenomenal in the first,” New Jersey interim head coach Travis Green said. “The speed and the skill of their team … took us a little while to catch up.”
Auston Matthews, with his NHL-leading 59th goal, William Nylander and Tyler Bertuzzi replied for Toronto (40-22-9), which got 19 saves from Joseph Woll. T.J. Brodie had two assists.
“I don’t think that’s stuff you
want to see in your game at this point in the year,” Matthews said of his group’s sloppy showing. “We’ve got to make sure we’re dialed in for a full 60 minutes.”
The Leafs sit third in the Atlantic Division with the postseason less than a month away, while the Devils are five points back of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card berth.
“It is rattling,” Nylander said. “We’re capable of a lot better.”
Toronto was minus injured forward Mitch Marner (high ankle sprain) and goaltender Ilya Samsonov (undisclosed) along with defencemen Morgan Rielly (upper-body injury).
Down 2-1 after that impressive opening period, the Leafs scored with their first effort on target in the second when Nylander capitalized at 3:14 to give him back-to-back 40-goal campaigns. Matthews then buried his 59th on a break at 4:51.
“It’s 25 shots, everybody’s feeling great,” Keefe said of Toronto’s approach in the second and third. “Usually things adjust and the opposition pushes back.” That’s exactly what happened. Meier tied it back up 46 seconds later with his 24th and Willman picked up his second at 13:05 for a 4-3 lead through two periods.
“Hated lots about our game,” Keefe said. “Hopefully the players hate it just as much or more than I do.”
Oilers 4, Jets 3 (OT)
WINNIPEG — Zach Hyman scored his 51st goal of the season 1:22 into overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Hyman has five goals in a four-game goal streak.
The Oilers halted a two-game losing skid and the Jets recorded their fourth straight loss (0-3-1).
Edmonton led 3-1 six minutes into the third period, but Winnipeg goals one minute apart by Brenden Dillon and Sean Monahan tied it at 10:39.
Mason Appleton also scored for the Jets (44-22-6).
Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves for Winnipeg, which began a five-game homestand at Canada Life Centre with its sixth sellout of the season.
Leon Draisaitl, Connor Brown and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers (43-23-4).