Keefe calls out Leafs' 'elite players' in loss to Coyotes
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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe called out his team's "elite players" after their 4-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.
Toronto went 0-for-4 for the power play before William Nylander's goal in the third and were tied 13-13 in shots with Arizona through 40 minutes before winning that category 15-6 in the final frame.
"Special teams obviously an issue, and I thought as the game went on, they gained confidence and our team got frustrated and lost its way," Keefe said after the loss. "We didn't adapt, we didn't score [on] special teams. It's an area to improve, a lot of areas to improve, and we're only four games in.
"Our best people have not found their rhythm. The difference between us and Arizona is we have elite players. Our elite players didn't play like elite players today, couldn't make a difference, so in that sense, the game is going to be close."
Of the team's four highest-paid players, only Auston Matthews failed the find the scoresheet, though Toronto trailed 2-0 deep into the third period before Nylander (assisted by John Tavares) and Mitch Marner scored goals less than 30 seconds apart to tie the game with six minutes remaining.
After Shayne Gostisbehere put the Coyotes back ahead, Toronto had a game-tying goal in the final minute called back due to a hand pass.
"Crazy that we're talking about such little things on these reviews," Keefe added of the key call. "Got to do a better job of not putting yourself in that spot."
Toronto dropped to 2-2 on the early season, with their two losses coming to the two teams that finished 31st and 32nd in the NHL last season.
"It's the National Hockey League," Tavares said. "Every night you have to compete and you have to play well and you have to execute."
"Inconsistent," Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly added of the team's effort. "Early on there was times where we had the puck a lot, and about halfway through the game we kind of went into a lull and we didn't have much going on and they controlled the play for the most part, and then we seemed to find our game again. If you look at the first period, we had the puck a lot, (but) we didn't generate a ton from the interior."
Toronto will host the undefeated Dallas Stars (3-0) on Thursday before beginning a five-game western road trip on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.