Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres which dropped the team’s record to 16-8-6.
On the most disappointing part of the game:
We gave up nine.
On where this kind of game came from:
I don’t have an answer for that.
On what can be done to build up Ilya Samsonov:
We have to play better in front of him and give him a chance to find himself.
He is going to do his work with Curtis. He has been doing his work. When he is in the net, the guys in front of him have to give him a chance.
On the level of concern about Samsonov’s mental state:
You guys always bring out the word concern. It is not the right way to frame it. We need to be very aware of it and we need to help him through this.
On whether the lack of pushback in the third period was disappointing:
If you go back and watch it, I think we started that period pretty darn good in the third period. We were pushing. I think we had eight shots in the first four minutes of the third period. Up until they scored, I thought we were right there in terms of trying to make it interesting.
On whether it is easier to flush a game like this given the team’s strong recent play:
Regardless of what we have been through or where we are at as a team, it is concerning that you allowed that to happen and there is not more of a pushback to try to fix.
On whether the coaching staff will burn the tape or dissect the loss:
We won’t dissect it, but we won’t forget it.
