Maple Leafs captain John Tavares responds to being called out by Sheldon Keefe after Devils loss

Sheldon Keefe departed from his usual approach following the Toronto Maple Leafs' disappointing 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, calling out captain John Tavares and several other veteran players. The head coach said his experienced players needed to set an example but instead got carried away.

In response to Keefe's comments, Tavares acknowledged the significance of his role as captain and expressed a commitment to setting the standard for his team:

"I think, especially the captain, you really want to be at the top of the list for being accountable and setting the standard and the way we need to play."

The Leafs made a strong start but faltered as the matchup progressed.

Sheldon Keefe's remarks on team and John Taraves

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe emphasized the need for leadership and example-setting after a disappointing loss to the Devils.

“They’ve got to be the example,” Keefe said. "John Tavares has been the example for us. He’s been outstanding for us for a long period of time. He himself got carried away tonight. That’s our captain. So if that’s going to happen, well, the rest of our bench is just making it up as we go. And when you do that, you open the door for the opposition to have a good night.”

Keefe's animated body language and strong words reflected his disappointment with the team's overall performance.

“I thought we just overdid it," Keefe said. “It was just really immature, all the way through our game. I thought it was immature from our most experienced players, our leaders."

Sheldon Keefe also mentioned inexperienced players and named Bobby McMann:

"And then our players who are immature, our inexperienced guys, we made lots of mistakes here today. The first period, Bobby McMann gives up a two-on-one, doesn’t do his job there.”