Mike Babcock addressed the media after his team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
On the team’s first 40 minutes versus its final period:
The first two periods weren’t good enough. Their specialty teams were better than our specialty teams. We weren’t good enough. The third period, obviously, we took over and really got to work. The bottom line is you’ve got to be ready to play every night in the league. You play lots of games, so some nights you’re not. You’ve got to find a way to respond and find a way to win. We got ourselves set up there and just never got it done in the end.
Obviously, Barkov was the best player on the ice by ten miles. Their team was desperate; hadn’t won a while and played real desperate. Our desperation didn’t match our skill level.
On the team’s special teams sputtering of late:
I thought the penalty kill… Actually, when we went down and when we got to their blue line, we tried toe-dragging someone and then finished the check. That would probably be part of it. But I thought our penalty kill in the first was really good until that last little play, and then they just shot it by us from the half wall. To me, that wasn’t a scheme thing. They just shot it past us.
Our power play the last couple of games — obviously, it looks like the guys are a little frustrated. Take a deep breath. They’re allowed to work hard against you. Take the play that is given to you. We’re not making good decisions right now. But we had lots of chances in Tampa. We didn’t have lots tonight. They clogged it up good and Barkov won all the faceoffs. We spent a lot of time breaking out.
On Troy Brouwer’s late knee-on-knee hit on Kasperi Kapanen that took Kapanen out of the game for a few shifts:
I haven’t seen it. It does me no good to comment on it, either. The league will look at it if it’s dirty, I guess. That’s what they get paid to do.
On where team morale is at coming off the road trip:
Well, we’re going home. I don’t think morale is low. I think morale is great. I think we’ve treated our players real good. We didn’t play hard enough. I don’t think we have any morale issue whatsoever. We were down and weren’t going to get any points. We found a way to battle back which is a real positive thing. We actually had to do it twice, which is a real positive thing. What I don’t like is that we didn’t play hard enough.
On whether there are any common threads or causes for concern between the Leafs‘ four losses in their last five:
I can’t tell you the answer to that. I don’t walk out of this and say, “Geez, ya, the wheels are off here.” I don’t see that at all. We weren’t good enough. That’s it. We didn’t play hard enough.
On Ron Hainsey’s comment that the penalty kill has been “average” of late:
200-foot clears, faceoffs, and just sticking to the scheme. I don’t disagree with him. It hasn’t been as good as it was. It was on fire, and then it hasn’t been as good. We just have to get back at it. I think it goes through ebbs and flows each year. Let’s just keep steady on the rudder and let’s just keep going and find ways to improve.
Tonight and in Tampa… I mean, our penalty kill was unbelievable in Tampa. We gave up the one shot and they scored. Tonight, I thought the same thing. That first one is a gift. Driving me crazy.
