Keefe sounds off on Leafs goals against: 'It's out of control'
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Head coach Sheldon Keefe said his concern level over the Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive play is "very high" following Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Maple Leafs have allowed four or more goals in each of their seven home games this season and are averaging 3.62 goals against per game overall – fifth worst in the NHL.
"We've got to pull together to keep pucks out of our net," Keefe said Wednesday. "It's out of control."
“Some of it is individual, some it is collective within the structure, some of it is just being committed," he added. "We sit in here and celebrate guys who score big numbers, we don’t talk enough about what we give up. That’s the reality.
"We have to prioritize keeping the puck out of our net.”
The Maple Leafs tied Wednesday's game at 3-3 in the third period on Nick Robertson's first goal of the season. Ottawa, though, would score three goals in just over four minutes to put the game out of reach. Their final tally, a goal by Claude Giroux, came after a blunder for Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll as he attempted to play the puck behind the net.
“First and foremost, not good enough by me,” Woll said after allowing six goals on 27 shots. “I thought we played well and generated some offence… I know I need to be better in that game.”
Wednesday's defeat dropped Toronto to 6-5-2 on the season, with just one win their past six games.
William Nylander, who extended his franchise-record season-opening point streak to 13 games, tried to put a positive spin on the team's current state.
“We battled pretty good there and got a tough bounce on the PK and then kind of lost it,” Nylander said. “But I think we are facing adversity early and I think it’s good for us.
"We need to grow and build. We’ve got a lot of new guys here, so build the team together and build around that.”
The Maple Leafs will close out the week with back-to-back home games starting Friday against the Calgary Flames and then Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.