Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, which dropped the team’s record to 46-24-10.
On the status of Bobby McMann and Jake McCabe after they left the game injured:
Bobby has a lower-body injury. I don’t know the severity of it.
Jake looks like he will be fine. He couldn’t come back due to swelling, mainly around his eye. His vision wasn’t impaired because of the swelling, but it has gotten better now. If that trend continues, he’ll be fine.
On how the team came back from 4-1 down:
The players just decided it was important. That is it. We know how to play. When it is time to play, we show what we are capable of.
On whether there was a message to the team after the first period:
I was brief, but it was more putting it on them. They needed to decide.
We have shown over long periods of time that we know how to play, and that was not us out there. We needed to be better.
Once we decided it was important, you saw the difference.
On the crowd buzzing whenever Auston Matthews touched the puck:
That was a major distraction. It doesn’t help us with what we are trying to accomplish on the ice. But it is exciting. I get it.
Especially when he got to 69, it is growing. They’re anticipating. Now, you’re feeding it. I am feeding it. I want it to happen. I wanted it for the fans.
But I am glad the game is over. Let’s move on.
On balancing the fans’ desire to see the 70-goal milestone against the desire for rest in the final two games:
I don’t think these fans are going to travel with us on the road. We will make the decision that we think is best for the team.
We have guys dropping right now. We will have to dress 18 skaters. Some guys will not be available for us. That is going to be a factor. The salary cap is what it is. We can only have so many guys. We have lots to sort out here in the last little bit.
On Ilya Samsonov bouncing back after the four goals against in the first period:
At 10 minutes into the first period, we are up 1-0. The shots are 5-5. We were on an odd-man rush at that time, and we didn’t manage it well. It was 1-1. We just were not good from there.
I don’t have any of that on Sammy. He is a reflection of the group. But it was important that we play with some pride. That is why it was important for Sammy.
We discussed taking him out. It wasn’t unanimous in there by any means about what to do with it. I felt our team was going to be better, and I felt Sammy needed to be a part of that. I am glad it worked out the way that it did. He was outstanding.
Ultimately, he is the reason we get a point. He didn’t let them get the next goal. I am glad about the way the guys responded.
On Max Domi’s penalty-taking tendencies:
I don’t like the penalty he took tonight (at the end of the third). I don’t think Max likes that penalty. In a lot of the other stuff, he takes good penalties, in my opinion. Tonight was not one of them.
On the importance of cleaning up some of the defensive play from the recent losses to New Jersey and Detroit ahead of the playoffs:
I think our team has shown that we know how to play. That is why I didn’t have to say much in the first intermission. I like to think that when the game is competitive and it matters, we are going to be ready for the moment.
Through this last little stretch, we have played some pretty good hockey. There have been times when we haven’t for sure, and it hasn’t always been consistent, but overall, I think we have done a pretty good job as a team.
I hated the first period. I hated the last 10 minutes of the first period, I should say. I thought we started just fine. We got a big power-play goal that got us going.
I thought we were good in the first 10 minutes. Auston hit the crossbar in alone. We got a power-play goal. It seemed like one of those nights where our guys thought it was going to be easy. We know how that goes when that is the case.
There is not going to be much coming easy from here.
