Keefe on Leafs second-period start: 'Disappointing, baffling'
Published
The Toronto Maple Leafs trail the Florida Panthers 2-0 in their second-round series thanks in large part to a disastrous 66 seconds to open the second period on Thursday.
Toronto held a 2-1 lead entering the second frame in Game 2, but turnovers led to quick-strike goals by Aleksander Barkov 19 seconds into the period and then Gustav Forsling 47 seconds later.
Forsling's goal held up as the game-winner as the Maple Leafs were unable to solve Sergei Bobrovsky in their comeback bid.
"Disappointing, baffling," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of the sequence. "We didn't make those mistakes one time in the last series."
The Maple Leafs controlled the play for much of Game 2, outshooting the Panthers in every period and 37-29 on the night. After allowing two goals in just over five minutes to start the game, Bobrovsky shut the Leafs out the remainder of the way, posting 35 saves.
Playing in the second round for the first time since 2004, the Maple Leafs have lost both games on home ice to open the series and will now head to Sunrise for Games 3 and 4.
"Not an ideal spot," Leafs captain John Tavares. "A chance to regroup here and look forward to getting on the road. Going to be a tough test, but one we've got to raise our level."
"It's a big opportunity for us, this time, where we need to show people we're a really good team, how hard we work, how we come back, 2-0, 3-0, it doesn't matter. We need to show people," goaltender Ilya Samsonov added.
The Leafs have an extra day off to prepare for a crucial Game 3 on Sunday as they look to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole against the Panthers.
"We've all got to self-reflect here," forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "The focus is the next game.
"We win the next game [and] we take it from there."