" I think we just gotta find a way to just step on 'em and not let 'em breathe when it comes to the third period," he said to reporters after practice on Monday. " I think we let 'em come back in the game, and obviously that's happened to us a few times here. So we're just trying to figure out how to finish out a game right now. I think we have the ability to do that, we just have to execute a few things and I think we'll be good."
""The past few games, I think there's been a lot of effort. We've done a lot of good, I think our game's definitely trending in the right direction," Knies said. " The few days before that, I think that there was a little bit of a lack of effort. But as of late, it's been good. I think everyone's working hard in practice. You guys saw that everyone's moving well, everyone's skating hard.""
The Maple Leafs entered the third period leading 2-1 against the Blackhawks but allowed two unanswered late goals and lost in regulation, marking their fifth straight loss. The team has struggled to finish games and has shown a drop in confidence that leads players to play tentatively on simple plays. The Leafs need to maintain pressure in the third period, simplify defensive decisions in their own zone, and execute a few key adjustments to secure wins. Coaching emphasis has been placed on execution and collective effort in practice to overcome the current adversity.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]