Leafs Share Thoughts on Matthew Tkachuk Ahead of Round Two

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Wade Messier
May 2, 2023 (10:42)

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The Maple Leafs have finally climbed the mountain of humility, and have put their first round demons behind them. How are they preparing for their next challenge, the Florida Panthers?

Leafs Share Testy Comments About Tkachuk

It's not a secret that a majority of the league cannot stand the Tkachuk brothers. Their, feisty, in your face style of hockey drives players and fans crazy, and nobody looks forward to playing against them. Despite their pest-like play, Matthew Tkachuk also happens to be an incredibly skilled player, and a 100 point scorer. Without his help, Florida likely wouldn't have beaten Boston, and he'll be the biggest hurdle for the Leafs to jump in round two.

Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe and some of his players shared their thoughts on Tkachuk ahead of the series.

"It will be trying to neutralize him as much as we can in terms of his abilities to play with the puck, play on offence & how he really drives the team but also not get distracted, as he would like us to be, with any of the other stuff outside of the game play" - Sheldon Keefe

Samsonov: "Yeah, we're not friends with him"

Marner: "It's just making sure we're trying to do our best to keep him off our goalie & try to stay out of the funny business after whistles"

Matthews: "He's the heart-and-soul of that team"

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of love between the two parties, and we don;t blame them. This series is bound to be an entertaining one, and could give the Leafs a real challenge to overcome.

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