Sheldon Keefe Blames Himself For Leafs Loss To Flyers
The Toronto Maple Leafs Lost 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers last night. The Team made a valiant comeback effort, but ultimately ran out of time to make up for their poor start. Head coach Sheldon Keefe took the blame himself.
Maple Leafs Late Comeback Effort Falls Short Against Philadelphia Flyers
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost the first half of their back-to-back last night 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers. The team made their best effort to make a comeback, but it was too little too late after they entered the 3rd period down 3-0. The team would get goals from William Nylander and Tyler Bertuzzi to cut the lead to 3-2 but the Flyers would respond with a goal of their own.
John Tavares would cap off the comeback effort with a 6-on-5 goal to make it a one-goal game with just under 2 minutes left. However, the Flyers were ultimately able to fend of the Leafs.
35-26-8.
Keefe Blames Himself For Leafs 'Slow Start' Against Flyers
After the game, Sheldon Keefe was asked how he felt about the team's poor luck with six posts in the game. He responded by taking blame for the team's poor 1st period, choosing to blame the loss on that, rather than luck.
"We weren't ready to go, that's on me, to start the game in the first period, & dig yourselves a hole. It's amazing when you do that, all the sudden, luck doesn't go your way."
However, he did not place all of the blame on himself. He also called out the entire team for their poor performance. He specifically noted that the team was not focused as they continued to make mistakes with execution.
He would go on to say that he was not satisfied with any part of the team, including goaltender Ilya Samsonov. This comment is notable because many fans thought that Joseph Woll might have been the better choice for this game.
Succinct comments from the coach after tonight's loss 👇
This loss comes despite Sheldon Keefe making extensive changes to the team's Blueline. Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe were among the worst performers on the team, likely cementing Benoit's spot in the press box tonight. Be sure to tune in then when the team takes on the Washington Capitals.
| POLL | ||
MARS 20 | 781 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe Blames Himself For Leafs Loss To Flyers Do You think Sheldon Keefe deserves the blame for the team's loss to the Philadelphia Flyers? | ||
| Yes | 580 | 74.3 % |
| No | 201 | 25.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531249.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531292.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
