Keefe: Leafs’ G2 struggles ‘disappointing, baffling’
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
TORONTO — The Maple Leafs were doomed by an awful second-period performance in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference second-round series against Florida on Thursday night. And coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t mince words about how his team struggled following the 3-2 loss, which put Toronto in a 2-0 series hole.
“Disappointing. Baffling,” Keefe said of the Maple Leafs’ second-period play. “We didn’t make those mistakes one time in the last series [in the first round against Tampa Bay].”
Toronto got the start it wanted in Game 2. The Maple Leafs simply couldn’t maintain their momentum.
Alex Kerfoot opened the scoring early in the first period to put Florida on its heels and Ryan O’Reilly followed with a power-play goal, Toronto’s first on a man advantage since Game 4 of its first-round series against Tampa Bay.
The Maple Leafs were dominating where they hadn’t in Game 1’s 4-2 loss. For whatever reason, it just wasn’t sustainable.
Anton Lundell got one back for the Panthers midway through the opening frame, as Florida got back to its aggressive ways rattling the Maple Leafs with bone-crushing hits through the neutral zone and a suffocating forecheck.
Toronto escaped the first period with a 2-1 lead. That wouldn’t last either.
First, it was a William Nylander giveaway turning into a goal for Aleksander Barkov just 46 seconds into the second period. Then Auston Matthews coughed up a puck and Gustav Forsling buried it. That was two goals just 47 seconds apart and it was 3-2 Florida in the opening minutes of the second period.
John Tavares hit a post. Twice. Toronto had its chances but couldn’t salvage what was a disastrous 20 minutes.
No one felt that more than Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov. He stopped 26 shots in the defeat and held Toronto’s crease tight in the third period to give it a chance to come back and force overtime. It wasn’t enough, though, when Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who turned aside 34 shots, was playing lights out.
Despite the final outcome, Samsonov didn’t hold back when asked about how he stacks up against Bobrovsky in the series so far.
“I don’t give a f—,” Samsonov said of being compared to Bobrovsky. “It doesn’t matter for me. I’m doing his work, he’s doing his work.”‘
It was a strong statement from the Maple Leafs goalie following a game where Toronto had control early and then fell apart. The second period might have been the worst of the Maple Leafs’ postseason so far and was the ultimate nail in their Game 2 coffin. But that was only one piece of a rapidly decaying puzzle for them.
In the broader sense, Florida’s netminder has been the difference-maker it has needed in the series. Bobrovsky has allowed just four goals on 72 shots thus far and was perfect in the third period on Thursday, turning aside all 11 Maple Leafs attempts on net. Meanwhile, Samsonov has given up seven goals on 57 shots. In a tight-checking series so far, that’s been a major factor. In Thursday’s defeat though, it was particularly glaring that Toronto held a lead early but couldn’t hold onto it thanks to some swift goal-scoring from Florida in the second.
Florida’s known for its ferocious physicality, and one play in particular appeared to do real damage when Sam Bennett took Maple Leafs rookie Matthew Knies down by the neck late in the first. No penalty was called and Knies finished out the opening frame but would not return for the second period. Keefe had no update on Knies after the game but said his status “isn’t positive” after he was forced out for the night.
Later in that second frame Bennett cross-checked Michael Bunting in the throat and was given a two-minute minor. Keefe called it “eerily similar” to the play for which Matthews was suspended last year when he cross-checked Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
Those are typically the types of play that could warrant a review by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and possibly earn Bennett supplemental discipline. His teammate Matthew Tkachuk disagreed that would be the case.
“I do not think he’ll hear from player safety,” Tkachuk opined after the game.
Either way, Toronto is focused from its largest deficit of the postseason so far. Keefe said he thought Samsonov was “fine” but the goalie will have to be better than that when Game 3 rolls around on Sunday.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice sees the upcoming two-day break “will be good for us.”
It’s on the Maple Leafs now to prove Maurice wrong.
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Andrea Adelson
Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was released from the hospital Thursday, nearly six weeks after he was shot in the back of the head while driving his aunt home.
In a statement, Florida State said Pritchard is alert, responsive and able to communicate. He is being moved from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville for the next stage in his recovery.
On a video posted to Instagram Stories by quarterback Tommy Castellanos, the entire FSU team cheered Pritchard as he was wheeled on a stretcher out of the hospital for the trip to Jacksonville.
“We are thankful for the efforts, thoughts and prayers of so many people and ask that you continue to support Ethan and his family as this process continues,” the school said in a statement.
Pritchard was shot Aug. 31 in what the authorities have described as a case of mistaken identity. He was dropping his aunt and a child off following a family party in Havana, Florida, about 16 miles from Tallahassee, near the Georgia state line.
Four people were arrested last month in connection with the shooting.
“I am so thankful for everyone who has prayed for my son,” said Earl Pritchard, Ethan’s father. “There have been a lot of ups and downs over these last 39 days, and it is remarkable that Ethan and I were able to leave the hospital together today.”
Earl Pritchard also thanked Florida State coach Mike Norvell for checking in every day and being a constant presence in the hospital.
“His players and staff have continued to make us feel part of the team,” Earl Pritchard said. “I can’t fully express how much those moments have meant to me and Ethan.”
Earl Pritchard also thanked the hospital and Florida State sports medicine staffs as well as the staff at Seminole High in Sanford, Florida, where Ethan played, for the support.
“I also want to thank Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young and the FDLE for their hard work and dedication to pursuing justice for Ethan,” Earl Pritchard said. “My heart is filled with gratitude for the outpouring of support for so many people, and I’m so appreciative for every single one of you.
“Ethan has a long journey ahead of him, but I know he will continue to fight and he will do so with the full support of our FSU and Seminole County families and all who have been impacted by his story.”
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers removed high-earning reliever Tanner Scott from their National League Division Series roster on Thursday and replaced him with fellow left-hander Justin Wrobleski, a move that makes Scott ineligible for the next round.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed after Wednesday’s 8-2 loss in Game 3 that Scott was unavailable, a big reason why Clayton Kershaw was forced to come back out for what became a five-run eighth inning by the Philadelphia Phillies. Scott underwent what Roberts described as a lower-body abscess incision on Wednesday night.
“Minor procedure,” Roberts said before Thursday’s Game 4. “I don’t know a whole lot about it, to be quite honest with you, but I do know that he’s recovering well.”
The Dodgers signed Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract over the offseason, but his first year in L.A. has been a massive struggle. Scott, 31, posted a 4.74 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP while allowing 11 home runs in 2025, the same amount he allowed over the previous three years combined. By the time the postseason rolled around, Scott had fallen out of favor. Roberts did not utilize him in any of the first four playoff games.
Scott started to show signs of an issue during Tuesday’s workout in L.A., Roberts said, though he added: “I don’t think we knew exactly the extent of it.” He described Scott’s procedure on Wednesday as “an “urgent matter.” The hope is Scott can still contribute, in some way, to the Dodgers’ playoff run.
“I still feel that the World Series, if we’re fortunate enough to get there, earn our way there, then he’ll be available,” Roberts added.
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