Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team’s 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators that improved the Leafs’ record to 2-1-0.
On the frustrating injury situation for Matt Murray so early in the season:
He has put in a lot of work. He has been healthy all the way through the offseason, training camp, and the preseason. He has put in a lot of work and hasn’t missed a second of anything. He has been feeling good all the way through.
To that end, it is disappointing for him. It is disappointing for us. We want him to be healthy and in the net. These injuries happen. We have dealt with a lot of them when it comes to the goaltenders in the last couple of seasons.
That is the reason why we signed two guys. We have Erik Kallgren here, who did a good job for us. There are opportunities for others. It is going to create opportunities for us with the roster now with the salary cap and such. There are things that come with it that we can turn into positives and give Matt time to get back to full health.
On Ilya Samsonov’s performance in the win:
He looked really calm and settled in the net. You could tell his confidence grew from one start to the next. That is what you are looking for: a guy to get comfortable.
He was not expecting to start, but it changes your day and your plans. It didn’t seem like he missed a beat. That was really good to see.
On the opportunity in front of Samsonov in wake of Murray’s injury:
He has played in the league. He has experience. He has been nothing but great in terms of his on-ice and off-ice since he has been in our facility and even in the time we spent with him in the offseason before he arrived in Toronto even. He has been great about wanting to work hard and put in the work in.
This is why he signed here — for an opportunity. He is on a bit of a mission this season. Now the door is really open there for him. We are going to have to lean on him more than we would’ve. We had plans to share things in the early going and give both guys an opportunity to get some traction. Things have changed a little bit.
At the same time, Kallgren is going to get an opportunity just the same. We need two guys. That is just the reality of the NHL. We have confidence in Kallgren, too. We weren’t able to get him as much time in the net in preseason as we would’ve liked to just because we prioritized the other two guys, but the reality is that you know you are going to need those guys. Here we are.
On the opportunity to call up players with Murray on LTIR:
Kyle and I haven’t had that discussion yet. The whole news with Murray and everything happening was too close to game time for us to even go there. I am sure we will get that settled tonight, or if not tonight, tomorrow morning. We’ll talk about it.
We have a road trip upcoming. This is just me talking in my head. I haven’t had any discussions with Kyle. We will get that sorted based on what is available and what we want to do there.
On his impressions of the game overall:
I thought it was two teams playing hard. Both teams had some opportunities but not a lot. Both teams got a goal there [on the power play]. At five-on-five, there was at times some clean looks on the rush, but we spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. We weren’t able to generate a ton of good looks out of that.
We were talking all throughout the game about finding ways to penetrate and get to the interior of the rink. We were able to use a high tip at the end of the second period — a huge goal for us going into the intermission.
It was a big goal by Holl there — a good initiative by him to jump down the wall and get on the interior. Bunts brought it to the net.
That is really the difference in the game, but not a lot between the two teams tonight.
On Rasmus Sandin’s adjustment to the right side:
It is a challenge. There are positives and negatives to playing your off-side. There are probably more difficulties than opportunities, but I think he has adjusted well to it. I thought those guys had a good day today.
Not only is he adjusting to playing the right side, but he is also adjusting to playing with a new partner. Rasmus wasn’t healthy last season — if I am remembering correctly — when Giordano was with us. In that sense, those guys are still adjusting.
He missed a lot of camp as well. There is a lot happening for a young player there.
On the team’s level of physicality and if it’s been emphasized more this season:
I don’t think it has been emphasized any more than it has been. I think it is part of the growth of our team.
We went through a really hard-fought playoff series that was very competitive and physical against Tampa. We have been through others, but as you go through those experiences, you really learn what the game is about when it counts the most.
What we have talked to our guys about: We have to be really good at whatever the game calls for. When it is time to finish a check and be competitive on a puck, whether that is what you are do and that is your thing… I look at Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Zach Aston-Reese, and that is what they do. But we have other guys where that might not be necessarily what they do. I look at Auston Matthews and his physicality.
The game calls for it at different times. When it is there — an opportunity to finish a check, compete, or go hard into a battle — you have to do it. That is what the game calls for. That is what we have talked about with the guys: elevate in that area early in the season.
It is a difficult thing to sustain over 82 games, but you look at how our first game went — it was not very good. I challenged the group, and we responded well in a lot of ways in the second and third games. I think the elevation of physicality comes as a byproduct of that.
We created a little bit of internal urgency within our team. I have been happy with how the guys have responded.
On what David Kampf brings to his line with NAK and ZAR:
Responsibility, consistency. Obviously, he was not happy with the goal that went in to tie the game. He wouldn’t be happy with that, either.
There are a couple of things with him. One is that he is reliable and consistent, but he also seems to have a knack… I don’t know if he has scored an unimportant goal for us in his time here. He finds ways to score big goals at key times. That is a nice characteristic to have.
Again, it is not what he does and it’s not his thing, but when there is a puck in the offensive zone and there is an opportunity to get your stick down and redirect it, it is a simple play that we practice quite frequently. In that moment, it is what it called for. He was there.
Great look by Muzz to find the stick. That is a huge goal for us. Those are the kinds of things you need throughout your lineup. That was good to see tonight.
On his first impressions of the Senators this season:
Way deeper for sure. If you look at the forwards of Giroux and Debrincat, they’re so dangerous but also versatile with what Giroux can bring on the faceoff dot. You also add Pinto and what he brings. With his injury, we haven’t seen a lot from him, but that makes a big difference to their team on the forward end.
Sanderson on defense brings another element to them there. They are young players who are elite. You look at Tkachuk, Batherson, Stutzle, Norris… These are top-line players in the NHL who are maturing and getting older.
I was asked this morning about the similarities between their team and ours. I think you are seeing some of the growth of their young players.
In addition to adding the depth, they are just getting older. You can see that the team is playoff ready and ready to compete for a spot. That is why you don’t see much difference between the two teams today. They were hungry to get back on the winning side. That team is going to be hungry all season.
