“Didn’t like anybody”: Keefe calls out Leafs’ effort after tough loss to Flyers

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe wasn’t exactly showering his roster with compliments on Tuesday night.

After the Leafs fell 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers in a game that included a 1-0 deficit 19 seconds into the game and a 3-0 deficit midway through the second period, Keefe was pretty blunt in his assessment of the team.

“I don’t think it was anything to do with urgency necessarily. We just clearly weren’t sharp, especially on our half of the ice. We weren’t willing to do the things necessary from the start of the game,” Keefe said of the slow start. “I thought we competed pretty well on the offensive side, but you have to do a better job in your own zone with and without the puck. We were very poor in that area tonight.”

Asked about goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who made 20 of 24 stops on the evening, Keefe continued his tough love for the Leafs.

“I think he was like the group. I didn’t like anybody tonight. Forwards, defence, or goaltending, I didn’t like anybody,” Keefe said. “We just didn’t play well enough on our half of the ice with or without the puck. We just weren’t sharp. We weren’t sharp mentally. We couldn’t pass a puck. We couldn’t handle a puck. We didn’t defend. We didn’t compete. Not a lot to like.”

But Keefe wasn’t the only coach in the arena making headlines on the day.

Flyers coach John Tortorella, who had shockingly made captain Sean Couturier a healthy scratch for the game, declined to comment on his reasoning behind the decision.

“I’m not talking about Sean,” Tortorella said postgame to reporters. “I’m not debating with you. I’m not conversing. It’s between Sean and I.”

At least in the short term, the move seemed to pay off, with Philadelphia picking up the two points on the evening.

The Leafs return to action Wednesday night, with a matchup at Capital One Arena against the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm ET.

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