"It was needed": Keefe addresses team after loss, cancels Leafs practice

Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports

Throughout his time as Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, Sheldon Keefe has had a pretty clear post-game policy: celebrate wins with the team in a post-game speech, and take it up the next day with them after a loss.

But after a particularly tough to stomach 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, Keefe decided to address the team in the locker room before speaking to the media.

Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe reveals he addressed the team after the game last night, which is rare for him after a loss

"Felt it was needed"

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 27, 2024

“Felt it was needed,” Keefe said today of addressing the team, as per TSN’s Mark Masters.

The Leafs decided to call off today’s practice, opting for an optional skate instead.

“Quite frankly, we had a few players that I expected to be available for practice today that played last night that were not available to practice today. So, all the sudden, our numbers were real light,” Keefe said of cancelling practice, as per Masters.

Toronto held a 3-2 lead midway through the second period but allowed four straight New Jersey goals, resulting in the team leaving the contest without a point.

“It has happened a lot for our group over the years, and I am talking about the experienced people. That came back tonight,” Keefe said after last night’s loss.

“You have lots of puck touches. You think it is going to happen again if you stick with it… Usually, things adjust and the opposition pushes back. The game kind of tidies up a little bit,” Keefe said of the team coming out of the first period with 25 shots on net.

Toronto opened the scoring just 64 seconds into the game via a shot from Tyler Bertuzzi, but they weren’t able to build on the strong start.

“I just thought we got incredibly sloppy and careless. That is disappointing,” Keefe added on Tuesday night. “It hasn’t been us (lately). We haven’t played that way for quite some time. I thought our guys got a little too excited and carried away. We will tighten it back up really quickly.”

The Leafs return to action on Thursday night when they host the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena. It’s the first time the two teams have met since Capitals forward Tom Wilson high-sticked Noah Gregor on March 20, with Wilson currently serving a six-game suspension for the infraction.

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