Tavares takes accountability after 'immature' performance by Leafs
Published
The Maple Leafs practiced at the Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday.
---
In a rare move, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe publicly criticized captain John Tavares following Tuesday's 6-3 home loss to the New Jersey Devils.
"John Tavares has been the example for us," Keefe said. "He has been outstanding for us for a long time. He himself got carried away. That is our captain. If that is going to happen, the rest of our bench is just making it up as we go."
Tavares responded to the rebuke on Wednesday.
"Well, I think especially as the captain you really want to be at the top of the list for being accountable and setting the standard and the way we need to play," the 33-year-old centre said.
The Leafs didn't hold a full practice and Tavares was not among the players who skated, so he didn't have to talk to the media. But the team's media relations staff let reporters know that Tavares planned to be available.
"Have to continue to be accountable, hold yourself to a high standard, especially as the captain," Tavares reiterated.
Before his turn at the lectern on Tuesday night, Keefe had already called out Tavares in the dressing room.
"I spoke to the team after the game last night, which I normally don't do after a loss," Keefe revealed. "I felt it was needed ... I brought John up yesterday, as I did in the room with the team, because he's our leader and he's got to set the tone for our group."
Tavares admitted that he tried to make a play to go for offence in the second period, but misjudged the situation.
"That's on me," he said.
It was in that second period when the details started to slip for the Leafs, who had piled up a season high 25 shots on net in the opening period.
"You are feeling great and everyone is going," Keefe said. "It had been one of our best periods of the season offensively. Everyone is feeling it and thinks they are going to have a great night, but it starts to get away on you."
Toronto actually grabbed a 3-2 lead in the middle stanza before a series of miscues allowed the Devils to wrestle back control of the game.
"I think sometimes you try and do a little too much or you try and grab the game right back instead of staying with the process and the way we need to play," Tavares said. "Just important to focus on that process. When we do that over the course of 60 minutes, it usually leaves us in a pretty good spot."
"We just overdid it," Keefe said. "I thought it was immature from our most experienced players and our leaders."
It was only a few days ago that Keefe lauded Tavares for how he went toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid during a showcase Saturday game against the Edmonton Oilers.
"He has been great and he will be great," Keefe said.
Tavares put up 10 points in a recent four game point streak, which was snapped on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
---
Keefe's comments about Tavares came after it was mentioned to him that Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who spoke to them media after the game, were upset about the performance.
"I really just added him to the list of our best players from last night," Keefe said. "I was asked about William and Auston and I think those guys are right with him. Those guys have to be the leaders of our group, especially when we have a number of leaders who didn't play last night so you are thin on experience."
Matthews and Nylander both sounded chastened following the loss.
"Just a little bit of an immature game from us tonight at times," Matthews said, echoing his coach. "Just have to have that killer instinct a little bit more especially when you have a good first period like that."
"You know what, it is rattling," said Nylander. "We know we're capable of a lot better in this locker room."
Matthews scored his 59th goal of the season in the second period while Nylander notched milestone goal No. 40.
"We all had a tremendous first period," Keefe said. "Things were going really well for us, but when it starts to slide, instead of getting carried away with it, we have to bring it back, stick to structure, stick to a plan, and stick to our mindset going into the game."
The plan was to play similar to Saturday when the Leafs frustrated Edmonton's high-octane attack while building a 5-0 lead. But that didn't happen on Tuesday and Keefe acknowledged he also needs to take some blame for what transpired against the Devils.
Those are the kinds of things you hope are better at this time of year, but we slipped," he said. "We have been good in that regard for quite some time now. I suspect we will get it right back to where it needs to be tomorrow."
The coach highlighted some mitigating factors, which may explain why such a disappointing effort occurred at a time when the team is attempting to ramp up towards the playoffs. Toronto was playing its third game in four nights and missing key veterans due to injury. Also, the first period was so one-sided in terms of puck possession. The Leafs racked up 38 shot attempts in the first 20 minutes.
"It doesn't happen all the time," Keefe said. "It is a different night, and then you consider who we had out of the lineup in terms of leadership and ability, it is the recipe for some of those things to happen ... It doesn't mean I am not going to bring it up to their attention and let them know we are not happy about it. You are trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. Based on how our group has been over the last couple of months, I am expecting it won't. We will press on."
---
Keefe was hoping to address some of the issues during practice, but made the decision to scrap the session only an hour before it was slated to begin on Wednesday.
"Quite frankly, we had a few players who I expected to be available for practice today who played last night and were not available to practice today," Keefe said. "All of a sudden, our numbers were really light."
Only four players who suited up on Tuesday – defencemen Conor Timmins, Simon Benoit and Ilya Lyubushkin as well as forward Noah Gregor – hit the ice on Wednesday.
"Many of the things I wanted to do today were not going to be possible with fewer people," Keefe said. "I felt that if it was going to be more of a flowing type of practice, we can do it tomorrow morning and capitalize on the rest today."
The team did hold a meeting to further digest what happened against the Devils.
"We chatted," Keefe said. "We had a meeting today about reframing things and recognizing the things that I didn't like and the things I feel they shouldn't like about last night."
---
Mitch Marner skated again on Wednesday, but the winger is not expected to play this week as he continues to recover from a high ankle sprain.
"The hope or plan was that we could get him going to be able to practice on Friday," said Keefe. "I do not expect him to be available or even to consider him playing this week. But he looked really good out there today and progress looks to be good. I think he's in a good place. We just got to continue to build him up.
The Leafs host the Washington Capitals on Thursday before wrapping up the week with a game in Buffalo on Saturday night.
Defenceman Morgan Rielly (upper body) did not play on Tuesday and did not skate on Wednesday. The defenceman's status for Thursday's game is up in the air.
Defenceman Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) is not expected to play this week. Winger Calle Jarnkrok (hand) is week-to-week and not expected back any time soon.
"We've had injuries all year," Matthews said. "Everybody goes through it. We've had guys step in and play bigger roles for us and play well. When you got key guys out, you expect that same kind of intensity coming from guys that are getting more opportunity. I thought some guys did well. It's just those little mistakes, those little key plays."
---
Ilya Samsonov declared himself ready to return to game action after completing a session with goalie coach Curtis Sanford on Wednesday.
"I'm not lost any days," the 27-year-old insisted. "I'm still same prepared. I understand it's not too hard, not too long injury. And, yeah, I just stay focused all the time and ready to play."
Samsonov revealed that he sustained a calf contusion when his leg collided with the post after he sprawled out to try and make a save against the Oilers late in Saturday's game.
"I'm happy it's just a calf," he said. "If it's groin probably I'm done this season. But I'm happy what we have right now. I feel healthy and everything is good. Like, ready to play again."
Samsonov did not skate on Sunday or Monday. He returned to the ice for a goalie session with Sanford on Tuesday morning.
"Last couple of days it feel pretty sore," he said. "But yesterday I was skating before everybody skated a little bit and moving is great. Not hurt anymore. I'm happy to be back."
---
Keefe announced that Joseph Woll will make a third straight start on Thursday. He is looking to bounce back after allowing five goals on 24 shots against the Devils.
"From my standpoint, there are a couple moments in the game where we could have used a save, so that's what I take away from it," Woll said.
Like on Sunday against the Hurricanes, Woll was beaten on the first shot of the game.
"You can't let in the first shot of the game," Keefe said. "That is two in a row now. But the chances we gave up were egregious. There are lots of issues in front of him."
Woll is 2-4-0 with an .884 save percentage since returning from a high ankle sprain on Feb. 29. Woll beat the Capitals twice previously this season, including last week in Washington.
"It is a good chance for him to get back in there," said Keefe. "He had a really strong game in Carolina and then it was not as strong yesterday. The group in front of him made life much harder on him. It is a good chance to get back in there after what happened last night. Also, Samsonov taking a little pause gives Joe a chance to get his workload up."
Alex Ovechkin scored twice on Woll last week, including one on a patented one-timer on the power play.
"It's crazy," Woll said. "You know he's there and you know what he's going to do and he still scores. So, that's how good of a player he is."
---
During a second intermission interview on Tuesday night, Nylander was asked about the team's power play.
"Just have to wake up a little bit," he said.
The Leafs failed to convert on two chances against the Devils after getting blanked on four opportunities against the Hurricanes.
"Just not enough urgency and not enough pucks getting to the net," Matthews said. "When it's kind of going that way, it's better off simplifying stuff than overcomplicating and I think we're still kind of maybe trying to do too much."
The Leafs are clicking at just 9.8 per cent on the power play over the last 14 games, which ranks 31st overall since late February.
Matthews, who leads the team with 15 power-play goals, has now gone 16 games without a man-advantage marker.
---
Attendance at Wednesday's practice:
Benoit
Giordano
Lyubushkin
Timmins
Gregor
Marner
Reaves
Samsonov
Jones