Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team’s 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.
On how the team can start to win more of the territorial battle:
It is a tight hockey game. We score first in the game, and then they come right back. That was tough. You have a chance to build some momentum, and you give that goal up.
It was a very tight hockey game all the way through. There was not a lot of offense going either way. Less for us.
They played hard. In terms of the territorial advantage, one team has to get on top of the other. They have been able to get on top of us pretty consistently. We have to find our way through that.
On how the team handled the opportunity or “moment” in front of them tonight:
Obviously, we didn’t get the result, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the moment or anything like that. It is a good hockey team we are playing against. They played as perfect of a road game as you could probably ask for if you are them.
We had some opportunities here tonight. We scored first, so you like that. We had some really good opportunities on our power play in the first period and a chance to take the lead there. We couldn’t convert on those kinds of looks. It was probably the most looks we had on one power play all series. It didn’t go for us.
It is a tight hockey game all the way through. We couldn’t get the next one.
On the team’s difficulty breaking out and whether the team might make some strategic or personnel alterations:
They are forechecking hard. They are on top of our guys really well. I don’t think it is necessarily a lack of ability from our players. They are gapped up very tight. Their D are very mobile and they’re holding the red line. It makes it a real challenge.
Any time that we have been able to get anything sustained on their half of the ice, we have broken out with ease. Any time they have time on our half, they are breaking out with ease. It is the way the series has gone.
We have to be able to take advantage of our opportunities when we do have those exits.
On Justin Holl being on the ice for 73% of the Lightning’s goals in the series:
My first response would be whether he has been on the ice by himself in those situations. I think the answer is that he is not out there by himself when he is in those situations getting scored on.
We need those guys to be better. They were involved in the goals here tonight. That is really all I would say. At the same time, they have also done a good job for us at different times in this series.
