Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe blamed striker William Nylander for his side’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
In the second half, he missed his cover and that allowed David Savard to level the score 1-1. This goal from the CH defender revitalized his club, which was previously dominated by Queen City. La Sainte-Flanelle finally won 4-2.
“It’s tough,” Keefe said of Nylander’s blunder after the match. Defensively, I don’t know if we can play better than that.”
“It’s the third or fourth time Will has done such a bad game. That’s why it’s time [de retirer Nylander du trio de John Tavares]. Bad things have been piling up on that streak for a while.”
The Leafs pilot didn’t hesitate to add a little.
“No, not even close,” he replied when asked if he was happy with the skater’s play.
“I don’t need to hit the nail on my head. He knows what he has to do to be good and he also knows what he has to do to bounce back.”
For his part, Nylander made no excuses and blamed it.
“I made a mistake in withdrawing defensively,” said the 25-year-old Swede. I didn’t do it correctly. It was an important factor. I should have been there to stop the momentum [de Savard]. “
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