Keefe’s greatest challenge
Slow starts. Lack of confidence. Coach sends clear message on the eve of the Leafs’ biggest game
Sunday might have been the most important day of Sheldon Keefe’s career as Maple Leafs coach — and the team wasn’t even on the ice.
On the eve of Game 7 against the Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, Keefe focused on addressing the poor starts that led to Montreal wins in Games 5 and 6. But more important, he delivered a message to his players, who acknowledged that doubt has crept in after the Canadiens outplayed them in two potential elimination games.
“I think it’s natural in the playoffs to let doubt creep in, but it’s up to us as players to control that,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said on a Zoom call after Sunday’s off-ice meeting.
It’s also the coach’s responsibility to get the most from his players, and Keefe took part of the blame for the level of play that led to a pair of overtime defeats. He’s facing a number of challenges heading into the deciding game of the series on Monday night:
THE NOISE
Some Leafs, notably star forward Mitch Marner, were savaged on social media following Game 6 on Saturday. Keefe reiterated his season-long message to players: tune it out, especially with the season on the line. “That’s really our focus,” the coach said, “is making sure we’re in the right frame of mind. We really talked (about the need to) block out the noise throughout the season. There’s no more important time to do that than right here now.”
MATTHEWS AND MARNER
After a torrid regular season, Marner and Auston Matthews haven’t been difference-makers in the series. Keefe said Canadiens goalie Carey Price, at the top of his game, is part of the reason. He’s 7-3 lifetime in elimination games with a sub-2.00 goals-against average, while the Leafs are winless in their last seven elimination games — outscored 3116.
“Montreal has done a good job against them, for sure,” Keefe said. “I went back today through all the scoring chances, the number of looks those guys have had. Despite the good job Montreal has done, they have found ways to generate some really good, high-danger chances in every game.
“They haven’t executed, and it hasn’t gone in for them ... Those guys have to remain confident and not get distracted. I think those guys have played hard and they’ve played well, and they haven’t been rewarded with it. So they have to find ways as a line to score.”
THE SLOW STARTS
“It’s a question we’ve been talking through as a coaching staff,” Keefe said. “That’s an area of the game that hasn’t been nearly good enough for us in the last two games. There’s responsibility for the players to be ready at the drop of the puck. But as a coaching staff and as head coach, I take a lot of that responsibility myself to have the group ready, and it hasn’t been the case.
“So we’re looking at that and talking about that. It’s a very important for us to establish that. Montreal is a team that will come with lots of energy and speed and pressure early. In the games we’ve had success as a team, we’ve managed that early on and then pulled away as the game went along. They’ve been able to establish their game for a longer period of time the last two, and we have to change that.”
THE MESSAGE
“It’s a big thing that we talked about. You know, as you leave (Saturday’s loss in Montreal) and you get on the bus, and then on the plane … and thinking about it through the day, you reflect on what the group has been through, particularly our core group. This team is its own unit, and it’s separate from anything that’s happened in the past. But there’s components of the group that have been through a lot and have been trying to push through this situation.
“As much as it sucks how we got here, and what we’ve been through the last couple of games — and we hate it — I really feel, frankly, that we are right where we’re supposed to be.
“We’re facing a Game 7 situation, a very difficult task at a time when the other team has momentum … at a time when you start to doubt and question yourself, and people on the outside doubt and question you. You’ve got an opportunity here in Game 7 to embrace that and meet that head on, and push through it. I think it’s an incredible opportunity for our team.
“I woke up this morning extremely excited for our group. Last night, you felt like (expletive) because of what you’ve been through — when you’re right there in overtime and you can end the series, and then you don’t get it done. But you wake up this morning, you think about the opportunity that our team has, with everything we’ve been through, especially our core guys. To have this opportunity, on this stage, to have this be the moment to push through, I think is an incredible opportunity, and I’m very excited for our team to play.”
“As much as it sucks how we got here, and what we’ve been through the last couple of games — and we hate it — I really feel, frankly, that we are right where we’re supposed to be.” SHELDON KEE FE
MAPLE LEAFS COACH
ON THE EVE OF GAME 7