The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost their last three games and the grumblings among fans and on social media are getting louder, which isn't necessarily good news for head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The last weekend, marked by two defeats after the opponent's comebacks, hurt. The Queen City team is clinging to third place in the Atlantic Section of the National Hockey League and may have to give up the top spot; First, the Boston Bruins have an 11-point lead over the Leafs. They prefer to look behind themselves, because the team in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins, only has two points less than Toronto.
Additionally, Keefe's squad will begin a crucial stretch of four road games Tuesday on TVA Sports. The start is likely to be difficult, as the Edmonton Oilers are waiting for it with their 10 wins in a row. Could the head coach suffer if the players in blue and white get into trouble during their travels?
If president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad Treliving's organization moves in this direction, it will be the first change on the club's bench since November 20, 2019, when Keefe replaced the fired Mike Babcock. What speaks for the current pilot, however, is that he led his men to the second elimination round last spring; The Leafs hadn't reached this milestone since 2004.
cause for concern
On the other hand, some remain skeptical of him, even though Auston Matthews' team has a .610 scoring average. At home, the Leafs are struggling with a record of 10-9-2. Her inability to maintain her progress worries some; The Colorado Avalanche overcame a three-goal deficit to win 5-3 on Saturday, while the Detroit Red Wings scored three goals in the final period and escaped with a 4-2 win the next day.
In front of the net it is anything but a synonym for stability. Joseph Woll is injured, Martin Jones has retired four times in each of his last two appearances, and Ilya Samsonov has an .863 efficiency percentage in 2023-2024.