From markhmasters: Leafs' Rielly revving up after rough regular season. MORE:
While Rielly's return helps bolster the blue-line, Keefe has stressed that Toronto's forwards have to do a better job of helping keep the puck out of the net. And the coach liked the progress he saw against the Canadiens.
Alex Kerfoot scored twice on Tuesday and appears much more comfortable after a shaky start to his Leafs tenure. Kerfoot bounced between centre and wing much of the year, but now with Ilya Mikheyev returning from injury, Keefe has been able to slot the 25-year-old in as the third-line centre alongside wingers"It was as good as we have seen Kerfoot play and that's a really healthy sign for our team," Keefe raved after Tuesday’s game.
"[Assistant coach] Dave Hakstol really took the lead with that," Keefe noted."We had used him sparingly and just looking a lot closer at it and thought there were a lot of positives there that gave us reason to want to give him a chance early in camp to expand his role. It helps us having a centre who can take face-offs."
The Leafs' penalty kill was a big reason why they lost the last two series against the Bruins, allowing 14 goals in the 14 games. So, it's important that the unit builds some confidence heading into this best-of-five series against the Jackets. Rielly and Dermott only played together for 25 minutes and 34 seconds this season, per Natural StatTrick, making them the least used pair on the Leafs.Robertson remained on the third line at practice on Wednesday. He’s now skated in a regular spot in the top-12 in every team session since July 18."What you can read into it is we continue to believe in him and he hasn't had any lapses here that have made us second guess giving him that opportunity," said Keefe.
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