Keefe: 'Carelessness' doomed Leafs in Game 1 loss
Sheldon Keefe believes his Toronto Maple Leafs simply weren't disciplined enough in their 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Saturday.
"Two high sticks, that's just carelessness," he said postgame, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ty Anderson. "This time of year, you can't allow your stick to get up like that."
Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi was called for a high stick on Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm late in the first period, and Auston Matthews was penalized for one on blue-liner Charlie McAvoy in the second. Toronto escaped the first unscathed, but Jake DeBrusk scored his first of two goals in the game to make it 3-0 with Matthews in the box.
Keefe also criticized Max Domi for slashing Bruins winger Brad Marchand on the wrist, saying Domi "can't do that," according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa.
The Bruins went 2-for-5 on the power play in the game. DeBrusk netted his second of the contest less than three minutes after his first on Domi's infraction.
Toronto was 0-for-3 with the man advantage, and Keefe said postgame his power-play units were "not good."
The Bruins ranked 14th with the man advantage in the regular season, while the Leafs slotted in seventh. Boston had the seventh-best penalty kill over the 82-game schedule, and Toronto ranked 23rd.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Monday night at Boston's TD Garden.