Sheldon Keefe reflects on Leafs' Game 7 opportunity following major setback against Bruins

By ARJUN B

Modified May 03, 2024 19:13 GMT

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe expressed a mix of relief and determination following his team's hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Thursday.

The win kept the Leafs' playoff hopes alive, setting the stage for a decisive Game 7 in Boston on Saturday.

"All we've done is dig ourselves out of a hole that we created for ourself," Keefe said, acknowledging the team's earlier struggles in the series. "Now, the real test comes in Game 7 & real opportunity..."

Keefe said that this will be the first time in the series that both teams will face the same level of desperation, with elimination on the line. He expressed confidence in his team's ability to rise to the challenge, given their recent experience in must-win situations.

"In my mind, we just played two Game 7s. It is an elimination game," Keefe said post-game, referring to the team's resilience in the last two games.

"At the end of the day, all we have earned is another date on the schedule. As good as this feels and as proud of the group as you are for the effort they've put forth, the results that they've gotten, and how we have performed in these last few games to earn the next one, all we have done is earned that one."

Keefe noted that while the Bruins have had Game 7 on their schedule throughout the series, the Leafs have had to fight their way back to earn this opportunity.

"For the first time, we will go into Boston and everything is all the same in terms of both teams facing elimination," he said.

The Leafs have a difficult history with Game 7s against the Bruins, having lost the previous three do-or-die games in 2013, 2018 and 2019 by a cumulative score of 17-9.

Sheldon Keefe on Auston Matthews' availability for Leafs' Game 7

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on injured star Auston Matthews ahead of the team's decisive Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.

Matthews has missed the last two games while recovering from an undisclosed illness.

"There’s been progress," Keefe told reporters regarding Matthews' status, "but no determination on his availability."

Matthews was pulled during Game 4 and also sat out Game 5. Despite his absence, Toronto won both games to force a Game 7.

On Friday, Matthews was on the ice for practice and is reportedly making strides. However, a decision has not been made yet on whether the center will play in the crucial Game 7 on Saturday.