In Glendale, the obvious happened. New Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe won his first game as an NHL coach, 3-1 over the Arizona Coyotes.
“Guys played well, and more importantly than how we play, I thought we had really good energy,” Keefe said. “I was really impressed with my first time being part of the group, the interaction of the players on the bench, the energy, the vibe.”
Frederik Andersen made 30 saves to get the win.
“We asked a lot of them, a lot of new things coming at them,” Keefe said. “We tried to keep things as simple as possible, but it’s still new things coming at them. We came up with a very good effort right to the end.”
Vinnie Hinostroza scored for the Coyotes with less than a minute on the clock.
“The energy level wasn’t there,” Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. “I told the boys afterward it was a dud. We haven’t had too many this year, but it was a dud. They looked good, but we were out to lunch.”
Pierre Engvall picked up his first NHL, and Tyson Barrie and Auston Matthews added strikes for the Leafs.
“I think our whole team was a little more aggressive and had a little bit more speed to the neutral zone, and we had a lot of fun out there,” Barrie said. “We kind of felt excited. It was like a fresh start.”
[WATCH: All Maple Leafs vs. Coyotes highlights]
Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves in the loss.
“I don’t think it’s a secret, that wasn’t our best night as a group,” Kuemper said. “We knew there was a big shakeup over there and they were going to come out hungry, and that’s what they did. They kept things simple, worked hard, and got rewarded.”
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