Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe looks on from the bench during third period NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey action against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Toronto, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Toronto fell flat in Game 1 of its first-round series with the battle-tested Tampa Bay Lightning. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
TORONTO – Sheldon Keefe calmly went over strategy and tactics.
The Maple Leafs head coach also put on his amateur psychologist’s hat in the wake of a disastrous playoff opening.
Toronto not only fell flat in Game 1 of its first-round series with the battle-tested Tampa Bay Lightning – Keefe’s team looked like a shadow of its 111-point regular-season self in an embarrassing 7-3 loss on home ice.
Instead of the connected, committed, offensively talented and defensively responsible group that finished fourth in the NHL’s overall standings, the Leafs were a timid, unsure, sloppy bunch on a humbling, worrying Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
“You don’t feel good about the effort or results,” Keefe said. “But you brush yourself off and get back to work.”
It was only one game, the coach and his players stressed, but their opponent has also made the Stanley Cup final three years in a row, including victories in 2020 and 2021, and topped Toronto in a razor-thin, best-of-seven matchup at the same stage last spring.
The margin for error on a team without a series victory since 2004 has already drastically shrunk.
“Important to get on the ice and be together as a group,” Keefe said following Wednesday’s brief practice. “There’s adjustments always to be made, but when your frame of mind changes a lot of things snap back into place.
“We weren’t anywhere near ourselves.”
That was certainly the case, especially in front of goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who also struggled in the spotlight.
“Our urgency has to go way, way higher,” Leafs defenceman Mark Giordano said. “For whatever reason, we were just a step off, and it felt that way all night.
“Play with confidence, play with that swagger that we’ve had all year.”
Booed off the ice by the home fans at both intermissions and again at the final buzzer, the Leafs were down 3-0 after the first period thanks to two turnovers and a power-play goal against.
There was a brief surge in the second that saw Toronto score twice on the man advantage, but discipline and some curious officiating decisions opened the door for Tampa to score four more times, including an additional two on the power play, for the comfortable victory.
“Too many penalties,” said Leafs winger Mitch Marner, the setup man on all three of his team’s goals. “Letting that power play get rolling is a bad thing to do. We gotta protect our net better.
“Wasn’t the start we wanted. That’s something that we’ve really tried to emphasize this year, getting on our toes to start games. We didn’t do that.”
Tampa, meanwhile, showed there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank after a disappointing end to its regular season.
“I don’t think anything surprised us,” Giordano said. “We know what type of team they are. We had some bad, bad moments in the game individually and collectively.”
Keefe pointed out it wasn’t so much about his team’s structure. It was about understanding the gravity of the situation in the moment.
“We were tentative, we were on our heels,” he said. “That’s really not where we are or who we are, and that’s certainly not how we’ve played for the last chunk of time.”
Keefe has also seen his group respond all year.
“We’ve bounced back really well when we haven’t been ourselves,” Keefe said. “The emotions go both ways in a playoff series. It’s about us just regrouping, refocusing here, and understand the importance of (Thursday’s) game.
“And have an effort that reflects that.”
LIMPING LIGHTNING
Tampa head coach Jon Cooper updated the status of three players who left Tuesday’s game with undisclosed injuries, including minute-crunching defencemen Victor Hedmen and Erik Cernak.
Hedman could be available for Game 2, but Cernak won’t play after taking an illegal check to the head from Michael Bunting.
The Toronto winger was scheduled to have a Wednesday hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Cooper added centre Michael Eyssimont, who took a big hit from Jake McCabe, also won’t dress in Game 2.
The Lightning could get a lineup boost from Tanner Jeannot as he recovers from a leg injury suffered earlier this month.
“Feeling good,” said the forward. “Working hard at getting back as quick as possible.”
KNIES ON THE RISE?
With the status of Bunting very much in doubt for Game 2, rookie winger Matthew Knies could draw into the lineup.
The 20-year-old, who signed with Toronto at the conclusion of his NCAA season, skated with Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari on Wednesday.
“It’s nice to have a guy with such experience,” Knies said of O’Reilly. “Valuable information for me.”
Keefe, who wouldn’t tip his on any lineup decisions, could also go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen.
“He’s a great option for us,” the coach said of Knies, who has three NHL regular-season games under his belt. “He’s taken care of all that he can do in the short amount of time he’s been here.”
Calle Jarnkrok skated in Bunting’s spot on Toronto’s top line with Marner and Auston Matthews at practice.
“You win, you lose, it’s gotta go in the trash can right away,” Jarnkrok said. “We’ll be ready to roll.”
SAMSONOV STARTS
One confirmed roster lock was that Samsonov will get the nod in Game 2 after allowing six goals on 29 shots before getting the hook in favour of rookie Joseph Woll.
“He wanted to get on the ice,” Keefe said. “He was sending a message to the team about how focused he is “¦ looks ready to get back at it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2023.
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