Sheldon Keefe: Leafs have ‘played to their potential in 50% of their games’

A day after the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday night, Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said his team has only played to its potential in half of their games.

“We’ve got a good team here. We’ve got good players,” Keefe said. “As a coaching staff, we need to do a better job with them and work with them and help them recognize our own goal in getting the team to play to its potential.

“I think we’ve done that,” Keefe continued. “I would say about 50 percent of the games — we’ve been really good. But that’s not enough. That’s not enough in the NHL.”

Following Monday’s game, Keefe wasn’t happy with his group’s performabce, calling out their effort on the Islanders’ second goal early in the second period. Forward Kyle MacLean left the penalty box, slipped past the Maple Leafs’ defenseman and scored his first-career goal on a breakaway.

“This is the National Hockey League. That’s peewee stuff,” Keefe said after the game,” Keefe said. “You play on the power play in the National Hockey League, they should not get behind you coming out of the penalty box.”

The Maple Leafs are 25-15-8 with 58 points through 48 games, fourth in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Detroit Red Wings holding the two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto’s next game is Wednesday as they host the Dallas Stars. The team then flies to the Canadian capital to face their Ontario rival, the Ottawa Senators, on Hockey Night in Canada.

Next week, the Maple Leafs host a three-game home stand against the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks.