Ahead of Monday’s game against the Bruins, head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed Ilya Lyubushkin’s status coming off of his head injury, his decision to bench William Nylander in the first period of the Rangers game, and the challenge against the Bruins this week.
Morning Skate Lines – Mar. 4
Leafs lines at morning skate
Knies – Matthews – Marner
Bertuzzi – Domi – Nylander
McMann – Tavares – Jarnkrok
Holmberg – Kampf – Reaves
GregorRielly – Lyubushkin
Brodie – Liljegren
Benoit – McCabe
LagessonSamsonov, Woll, Jones
Host Bruins tonight @TSN_Edge
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 4, 2024
Is it a relief to see that Ilya Lyubushkin is good to go?
Keefe: Yeah, for sure. He was feeling good after the game the other night and feeling good again yesterday. He is feeling good again today. All of the protocols he was unable to get through on Saturday he was able to get through yesterday and today as well. If he continues to respond well after the morning skate, he will be good to go.
It turned out a lot of the discomfort he was feeling was coming from some neck and shoulder issues that were causing some discomfort in the head. They seem to have gotten that settled down.
Before he left the game, did you like what you saw from your defense with Lyubushkin slotted in?
Keefe: It looked like it was flowing well. In talking to Mike Van Ryn, he felt good about all three pairs being able to play against anybody and being able to just let the guys flow out the door. The lefty-righty pieces for Brodie and Rielly’s partners seemed to help them with both having right-handed partners. It was very encouraging what we saw.
Boosh — despite the fact that he was working on four or five hours of sleep, a three-hour time change, and he was coming off a big trade with no practice with us — stepped in and looked very comfortable.
When you have benched Nylander in the past, is it the same conversation afterward or do you have to change your message with him depending on the situation?
Keefe: Every situation is different. I probably wouldn’t have been as sensitive to it the other day if we didn’t have the meeting the day before. As we have talked about at different times, we are increasing the accountability for all of our players in these situations.
Each situation is different and each mistake is different. Some are well-intentioned, but the player doesn’t execute the way they want it to and something goes wrong. In some cases, it is purposefully stepping outside the structure and the system. To me, [the latter] is what it was the other night.
You are just kind of managing that as you go. In general, there is less tolerance from my end for mistakes such as that one with William, whether it is him or anyone else. I was a little more sensitive to it because I had specifically met with that line about those types of things.
Whether it was the Rangers game on Saturday or the Boston game on Monday night, what are you hoping to learn about your team? What are you going to be looking for against these tougher opponents?
Keefe: It is no different no matter who the opponent is. We are seeking consistency in our game, details, and habits. That has certainly improved no matter who our opponent has been. I liked a lot about our game the other night.
Regardless of who our opponent is, that is what you want to see. When you are playing against top opponents, all of those details are that much more important. But, as we have seen over time, games against these types of teams don’t seem to be issues for us in terms of being ready, being prepared, and having those details.
We want to have it consistently all the way through. It is a good challenge and a good team. We play them twice this week. All of these things are unique.
Whether it was Arizona, Vegas, or another team in Boston who we will play twice in a short time period, that in and of itself is good for this time of year.
It turns out the referees would’ve had the discretion to call a penalty shot for the too-many-men penalty by the Rangers at the end of overtime on Saturday. Do you have any thoughts on whether you prefer a penalty shot in such situations…
Keefe: Do I prefer a penalty shot over a seven-second power play? Yes, I do [laughs].
But would you prefer a coach’s decision rather than the referee’s discretion from a rules standpoint?
Keefe: I don’t know. Sometimes you go the other way, where you get a penalty shot in a situation where a guy is pulled down and you may prefer a two-minute power play depending on what is going on in the game.
My understanding of that rule as it pertains to the too-many-men call — and I am clearly not an official, so it is more a question for the league — is that it is not a line change but more they throw a sixth guy out there to get an advantage. I don’t think that scenario is exactly how that rule reads in terms of being deliberate.
I see [the rule] more as we have a very clear advantage and they send a guy out when no one is even attempting to get off the ice. [Saturday] was a line change situation where they jumped a little bit early on. I didn’t even think of it as a penalty-shot scenario in that case.
What is the conversation like when it comes to the decision in net for tonight?
Keefe: We have four games in six nights this week. We are going to need both goaltenders. For us, it is about playing the calendar and where the games fall.
We have two guys that we trust. Woll has played one very good game — two if you include his Marlies game — and Samsonov is building some great momentum and playing very well. We have Woll, who has to continue to build starts and we don’t want to sit for too long.
It is just a decision for us based on the calendar more than the opponent or what is happening here.
There is a lot of talk about Boston struggling lately, but you must be looking at it no differently in terms of how much you have to be aware of.
Keefe: They are an elite team. Boston “struggling” is teams barely being able to beat them in overtime or shootouts. They are in every single game. They make it very hard to play against them. It is never an easy night.
