Keefe has tough words for Nylander & Tavares following struggles

Sheldon Keefe had strong words following the recent offensive struggles for Captain John Tavares, and singled out his linemate William Nylander.

Keefe Shares Thoughts

Tavares has struggled through an inconsistent month, both in a good way and bad. On the one hand, Tavares had 5 Goals and 14 Points in 13 Games for the Leafs in March, along with 5 multi-point games, but at the same time, has struggled with 7 pointless games, 6 of those being losses for Toronto. Only one of his 5 goals in March had come at Even Stength.

Head Coach Sheldon Keefe noted the inconsistency of Tavares, but defended the Captain for his efforts beyond scoring.



Keefe continued, "I correlate it a lot to the fact that (Nylander's) game has not been at the same level."

Nylander has had 3 Goals and 9 Points in 14 Games for the Leafs in March, having a similar slump to Tavares, including a pointless drought in 6 out of 7 of Toronto's last March games. This followed up a 5-game point streak for Nylander.

While Keefe is blaming neither Tavares or Nylander, it's clear he's looking for more offensive consistency from his best assets as the postseason nears the corner.

As reported in Maple Leafs Insider - Keefe calls out William Nylander for John Tavares' recent even-strength scoring struggles