Kevin Bieksa Slams Leafs Stars For Lack of Effort

Kevin Bieksa did not hold back on his assessment of these two Leafs and their effort in the overtime loss to the Bruins on Saturday.

The Leafs lost another nailbiter on Saturday, dropping their game to the Bruins in the dying seconds of overtime. The final play saw Nylander get tangled up with Marchand as the Leafs pushed for a rush, which turned into an odd-man rush for the Bruins where Marchand eventually put the puck in the net to end the game.

As the play was reviewed by analysts, it became clear that both John Tavares and William Nylander gave a minuscule amount of effort in the final backcheck, leading to the loss. Kevin Bieksa, panellist, let them know after the game with his assessment of their effort.

"Tavares here, head should be down trying to get back into the picture," Bieksa said. "Nylander, same thing. Him and Marchand are the two that tangled at center and Marchand ends up beating him to the net and scoring the winner." - Bieksa on Leafs Final Play in Overtime

Leaf fans were mixed about their reactions to the play, as some called it out for a lack of effort, while others added context to the situation that makes it seem less bad than what it looks like on replay.

I'm fairly certain John Tavares was exhausted here, but the lack of effort to get back and help defend is nonetheless infuriating to watch

There was literally no chance of Tavares stopping that playeven if he «hustled» back. Granted, he could have made the effort - but at the end of a shift, he probably was gassed. A skater covers A TON of ice in overtime.
Either way, probably would have had no impact.

There was nothing to be done. He had no chance remotely of catching Marchand after Nylander blew a tire and there were 6 seconds left so there wasn't going to be a follow up play. Either Woll was saving the day or they were losing.

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POLL
4 DECEMBRE \| 168 ANSWERS Kevin Bieksa Slams Leafs Stars For Lack of Effort Do you think Tavares should have hustled back?
Yes	118	70.2 %
No - wouldn't have mattered	50	29.8 %
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