Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers which dropped the team’s record to 38-20-9.
On what led to the 3-0 hole:
We just didn’t play well enough on our half of the ice with or without the puck.
We just weren’t sharp. We weren’t sharp mentally. We couldn’t pass a puck. We couldn’t handle a puck. We didn’t defend. We didn’t compete.
Not a lot to like.
On whether the Flyers were the more urgent team:
It shouldn’t be. It is the NHL.
I don’t think it was anything to do with urgency necessarily. We just clearly weren’t sharp, especially on our half of the ice. We weren’t willing to do the things necessary from the start of the game.
I thought we competed pretty well on the offensive side, but you have to do a better job in your own zone with and without the puck. We were very poor in that area tonight.
On whether the team was snakebitten offensively with all of the posts hit:
We had a ton of chances in the second and third periods, but it could’ve been a lot worse in the first period at the same time. You can’t play catch-up hockey on the road and expect to win.
We weren’t ready to go — and that is on me — to start the game in the first period. We dug ourselves a hole. It is amazing how, when you do that, all of a sudden, the luck doesn’t go your way.
On Ilya Samsonov’s performance:
I think he was like the group. I didn’t like anybody tonight. Forwards, defense, or goaltending, I didn’t like anybody.
On Ryan Reaves’ status after he left the game following his fight with Nicolas Deslauriers:
I don’t have an update on him.
