from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,
This is the first mini-crisis of the Sheldon Keefe era with the Maple Leafs.
And maybe ‘mini’ is the wrong word to use here. Maybe this is the first real crisis, three losses in a row, three lousy games in a row after looking like a top-five NHL team.
The worst loss occurred on Sunday night in Sunrise — in the biggest game to date of the regular season, a chance to push the Florida Panthers way back in the standings.
The Leafs didn’t show up. They never announced their presence. They weren’t ready to play. They looked as loose and sloppy and careless as at any time during the final days of Mike Babcock’s regime.
They looked nothing like a team that anyone would take seriously.
Keefe has brought new life and new energy to the hockey club. At first, he seemed almost magician-like. The players were looser, happier, seemingly enjoying his unusual possession-style of game, with twists they haven’t seen in the offensive zone.
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