Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets that increased the Leafs’ North Division lead to four points.
On the missed call on the cross-check on Auston Matthews late in overtime:
I missed it, but there was a lot of frustration on the bench from the guys who did see it.
On Jack Campbell’s performance:
Just outstanding. You can just see his confidence growing and the team’s confidence in him growing as well. Just terrific. He is playing in a game tonight with virtually no room for error. He was there on all the breakdowns we had today, which I thought we had too many of.
He was really good. A huge reason why we got two points here tonight.
On the team’s continued power-play struggles (0 for last 25):
We have covered a lot of different things in terms of trying to fix it. We have changed it a lot here in the last while in trying to find something that would work. In the first game against Winnipeg, we decided to kind of load up one unit and give that a go. We thought, in a lot of ways, it got worse.
We just want to give it some time to breathe a little bit and let it settle in with consistent units. We told the guys that we are not changing anything. Get comfortable with who you are playing with. Get comfortable together and find a way through it.
In terms of today’s game, the issues that I would break down on the power play today are a lot different than what they were the other night. We spent a lot of time in the zone. We didn’t move the puck well. We didn’t get off the boards well. Tonight, we lost faceoffs and had to break out a lot. Couldn’t gain entries. It is a different story for us here tonight.
We will continue to talk about it internally, but we really think we’ve just got to let it breathe a little bit here, as tough as it is, because it is piling up. We believe in our guys and we believe it will turn. We just have to stay with it and not overthink it.
On picking up two big wins in Winnipeg:
It is huge. I think there are a lot of reasons why they could’ve won in regulation and could’ve gotten the two points here today. They are a good team that makes it harder on us. For our team, to stay with it and get the two points on the backs of an outstanding start in the first game, and then tonight, we struggled in the first, had a great second period, and we were still tied going into the third. Obviously, we had terrific goaltending. It is enough for us to get to overtime.
When I look at it, really, it is a win and a tie for us out here, and we find a way to win the skills competition to get the extra point, which is obviously important. We just come away from these two games with even greater respect for their team, what they are capable of, and just how good we have to be to beat them in regulation.
On Jason Spezza’s ability to produce in limited minutes:
Talent, obviously, is the biggest thing. He continues to work at his game. That talent stays sharp, so when there are opportunities to produce offense, he can take advantage of it. With where he is at now in his career, he is playing lower in the lineup for us, which does create some opportunities in terms of matchups at different times.
Early in his career, teams go in and they talk a great deal about trying to shut down Jason Spezza. Things have turned and there are obviously other people that they are focused on and worried about. He is one of those guys that has the ability to make a difference for us lower in the lineup. The matchups and the ice time we give him, we think, give him a chance to make a difference down there.
On avoiding a letdown in Calgary after two big wins in Winnipeg similar to the letdown in Vancouver after three straight wins in Edmonton:
It is something we need to learn from. Last time out, it was a back-to-back. We had to travel and go out and play in Vancouver. No excuses for us here. We have to regroup and go right in to play a Calgary team that has played us hard in the games just like here in Winnipeg. They’re really close. They’re tight-checking. We’ve got to find and work to get offense and get to the net. They make it hard on you to do that. We are going to have to regroup here, get a little rest, and get ready to go.
