Sheldon Keefe praises team spirit after epic comeback

It seemed as though the Tampa Bay Lightning had the Toronto Maple Leafs dead to rites last night, enjoying a 4-1 lead midway through the third period and on the verge of tying the series up at two games apiece. However, in a game that the Leafs would historically wilt away in, they came through with other plans.

Two goals from Auston Matthews and another from Morgan Rielly tied the score late in the third period, setting the stage for Alex Kerfoot to assume the role of hero with a deflection of a Mark Giordano shot in overtime. The Leafs absolutely stunned the Lightning, and are now one win away from advancing in the postseason for the first time since 2004.

“The message in the third period: Don’t go away,” head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. “Stay with it. You are not necessarily at that point are thinking you are going to come back in the game. You just want to stay there and give yourself a chance to come back in the game versus just going away and moving onto the next one.”

“I just pushed the guys to stay with it, have a positive period, seek to win the period, and once you do that, you start chipping away and you have a chance. Credit to the group — the spirit of the group — for carrying us through to come back in this fashion. It is outstanding to witness and be a part of.”

It really does feel as though this time around will be different fo the Leafs, who have been accustomed to finding ways to lose key playoff games. The addition of 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly has already come through in major ways for the Leafs in these playoffs, as he scored the game-tying goal in Game 3 while also assisting on the subsequent overtime winner.

“Whether it is the guys who have been through it or the guys who have come in to add to the group, collectively, it feels different,” Keefe said. “I think that is why you end up on the right side of these things. Certainly, it feels different. Things tend to go your way when that is the case.”

“But let’s not get carried away. We have a tough task ahead to finish this series off.”