Sheldon Keefe Calls Out His Team After A «PeeWee» Level Performance

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Hunter Bowman
February 6, 2024 (9:56)

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe wasn't happy with his team's performance after their 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night.

The Leafs' bench boss was particularly upset because the team couldn't capitalize on facing a struggling Islanders squad, and a costly mistake in the second period allowed Kyle MacLean to score his first career goal after exiting the penalty box.

Keefe compared the defensive breakdown to "peewee stuff," saying,

"This is the National Hockey League. That's peewee stuff," Keefe said after the game. "You play on the power play in the National Hockey League, they should not get behind you coming out of the penalty box."

"As I said, we played well enough to win the game, but we did just enough to lose," he continued. "The second and third goals are gifts. You can't give gifts when the goalie is playing the way that he is at the other end. Goals are so hard to come by. You battle your way back to tie the game. You can't do that � not if you want to win games."

Although captain John Tavares and Mitch Marner scored for the Leafs, former Maple Leaf Pierre Engvall netted the winning goal for the Islanders late in the game.

Kyle MacLean's goal was a special moment for his father, John MacLean, who won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995.

«It's been a long journey,» said the younger MacLean. «I always had that inner belief, but it's cool now, and you kind of feel like the hard work is beginning to pay off.»

The Leafs will look to bounce back when they face the Dallas Stars at the Scotiabank Arena.

Source: Hockeyfeed