The Boston Bruins managed to avoid a historic mistake on May 4th by defeating the resurgent Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in overtime and progressing to the next round after losing a 3-1 series lead.
The Leafs, known for their strong offense, failed to score more than one goal for the third time in the first round against the Bruins. Head coach Sheldon Keefe criticized his team for not scoring more goals.
He mentioned that the Bruins are exceptional at defending their net and were happy to just do that. He believes teams allow the Leafs to defeat themselves. These comments are disheartening coming from the coach of a team that has only made it past the first round once in the last eight postseasons.Sheldon Keefe Thinks Maple Leafs “Beat Themselves”
Keefe's opinion is doubly damaging as it suggests that he fell into Boston’s trap and had no plan to overcome the challenge posed by the Bruins.
He also admitted that the Leafs made mistakes in Games 3 and 4, leading to their own defeat.
The Leafs initially scored in Game 7 due to a mistake by the Bruins, but then couldn't score again past Bruins goalie
William Nylander
scored the first goal, assisted by Auston Matthews following a mishandled puck. However, the Maple Leafs were unable to score again and have now lost all 6 Game 7s since the 2013 playoffs, with 4 of those losses happening in Boston against the Bruins.Will the Maple Leafs Break Their Core This Summer?
The Leafs were very close to defeating the Bruins and making a remarkable comeback after trailing 3-1 in the first-round series. This was partly due to injuries impacting their chances of winning in the playoffs. To summarize, Matthews missed Game 5 and 6 due to illness, but returned for Game 7. Nylander didn’t play in the first three games. Meanwhile, new starting goalie
was ruled out for Game 7.
Injuries, along with underperformance by star players like Matthews, Marner, Rielly, and Tavares, made it impossible for Toronto to succeed.
Now, as the season ends and hockey in Toronto pauses until fall, the franchise needs to decide the next steps for core players (Marner, Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares) and head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Keefe signed a two-year extension starting next August, but there's a chance he may not last that long and could be fired before summer. Joseph WollKeefe’s contract extension and his stay in Toronto next season will depend on the choices made by the Leafs’ top players regarding their own futures.
All of the star players have contracts that allow them to veto any trade Toronto tries to make with another team. This could lead to the Leafs keeping their current roster and only making a change in the coaching position. The Game 7 loss is difficult for Leafs fans, but the upcoming decisions for the franchise will be even tougher for the organization to make., The Game 7 loss is tough for Leafs fans but the decisions looming on the horizon of the franchise are going to be even harder to make for the organization., and Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe admitted that he and his team fell into the Boston Bruins' trap and ended up defeating themselves in the first round. (all three combined for 2 goals in the first round), made it impossible for Toronto to get over the hump.
With their season over and no hockey in Toronto until next fall, the next thing the franchise will need to address is what to do next with both its core players (namely Marner, Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares) and head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Keefe signed a two-year extension that kicks off next August. There is a chance he doesn’t make it all the way there and gets fired before the summer.
Keefe’s extension and presence in Toronto next season, however, will depend on what the Leafs’ stars decide to do with their own careers. All of them have no-move clauses that can be triggered to block any trade Toronto agrees to with another franchise, which might force the Leafs into riding their current roster forward and just make a change at the coach position.
The Game 7 loss is tough for Leafs fans but the decisions looming on the horizon of the franchise are going to be even harder to make for the organization.