'It Fired Me Up': What Maple Leafs Coach Jim Hiller Said To Gavin McKenna During Second Intermission

The Toronto Maple Leafs have dropped their fourth game in the last five outings with a 4-2 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

The Canadiens went up big on the Maple Leafs early, with a 3-0 lead in the first half of the game. Two of those goals came off turnovers from rookie Gavin McKenna, who tied a game-high of four giveaways.

"Well, I thought we honestly played a pretty solid game, but yeah, a couple turnovers, two by myself, and I think that's just what killed us," McKenna admitted after the game.

The first goal of the game came from a defensive zone turnover off McKenna. The second goal was impossible to ignore when McKenna handed the puck to Habs left winger Chris Kreider while Toronto was attacking in the offensive zone. McKenna explained the play from his perspective.

"I saw McCabe coming down the wall or the middle," he said. "Thought I could get it to him. Obviously, that wasn't the play. But yeah, unfortunate. And yeah, it was it was tough one."

As an 18-year-old in the NHL, McKenna is still finding his way in the best professional hockey league in the world. At the same time, Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller had a message for him about how to clean up those mistakes.

"Well, I mean, I'll keep most of that between him and I, but he knows," Hiller said. A couple turnovers, and you just can't do it. You can't continue to do it. You know what I mean?" 

He still received support from his teammates and coaching staff, specifically during the second intermission. He revealed that Hiller gave him a vote of confidence despite his costly turnovers.

"Jim pulled me aside and talked to me, and it was good," the rookie shared. "He said he was going to get me out there again, which felt good. So, I appreciated that from him, and honestly, it fired me up. So, just an unfortunate bounce."

Hiller continued to give McKenna an opportunity after his mistakes, and it turned out to be effective for the team. The Whitehorse, Yukon, native scored Toronto's second goal of the game, getting his sixth goal of the season and his 12th point. That puts him tied for the lead in rookie scoring.

"Yeah, that one felt good," McKenna said. "That one probably would have felt a little bit better if we won. But to get that one after making a play like that, that one always feels good."

More importantly, it was a good sign for him to bounce back the way that he did, helping his team get a chance to get a better result.

"He's a great young player," the bench boss continued. "Bounced back, good attitude, all that kind of stuff. Trying, learning, come a long way. So it's all good. It's just tough sometimes."

"I think it was a good job by him," John Tavares said of McKenna's response. "When mistakes happen, you try not to dwell on it too much. As difficult as that may be, and how heavy it can feel at times, I think you just try to be ready for that next shift because you never know when the next opportunity is coming to go out there and make a difference, which he did."

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