The Toronto Maple Leafs head coach reacted emotionally to his team's play following a "lack of focus" after tying the game 1-1 against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday
For the last few weeks, Sheldon Keefe has been asking for more from his team but he just hasn't been getting it.
And tempers flared as the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach erupted on the bench, launching into a tirade just a few shifts after his club tied the game 1-1 in the second period against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
"It’s just the mindset of our team in that moment," Keefe said following the team's optional practice on Wednesday. "We’ve been talking lots about recognizing moments and being good with our situational awareness. It’s just the mindset of our team in that moment. We’ve been talking lots about recognizing moments and being good with our situational awareness."
Part of Keefe's tirade appeared to be directed at Tyler Bertuzzi, who has had turnover the puck in the offensive zone. Keefe acknowledged some of his emotional reaction was to the forward who could have put the puck in a better place.
But it's clear Keefe has been losing patience in his club and has been mediocre when it comes to 5-on-5 play this season.
"Sometimes get emotional in the bench and you guys see it. Oftentimes, it's behind closed doors and you don't see it. But regardless it's an area that we have to get better in," Keefe said. "'I've got to do a better job of making them even more aware and hold them accountable if it's not going to be to the standard that that's required. That will certainly be the case."
Heading into games scheduled for Wednesday night, the Maple Leafs rank 21st out of 32 teams in the NHL in terms of expected-goals percentage, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. They also only have five regulation wins this season, a surprising stat for a team that is expected to have Stanley Cup aspirations.
Offense, a hallmark of this team, has come up short. A lineup shuffle on Tuesday that saw Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner split up from the top line failed to yield more results. Noah Gregor, a fourth-line player who was invited to a professional tryout at training camp, accounted for all of Toronto's offense in a 2-1 win against the Panthers.
"We needed a bit more motivation, a little more jump to our step," Knies said of Keefe. "We were losing battles up until that point and not managing the puck well. We were up. We had just scored and we just didn’t handle the puck well. Obviously, he has to get on us. We have to be a complete team and play in all areas well."
Toronto has an 11-6-3 record through 20 games this season, compared to 10-5-5 through the 20-game mark last season.
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