The Toronto Maple Leafs may have the confidence that they can finish off the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of their first-round series, but based on their postseason track record, sizable chunks of their fan base will need to see handshakes being exchanged on Scotiabank Arena ice on Tuesday night to believe it will happen.
The Leafs and Sens went to overtime for the third consecutive game on Saturday in Game 4, and despite Toronto having a four-minute power play in the extra frame, they did not have John Tavares available to them due to being in concussion protocol after a high hit from Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub. The Leafs’ man advantage did not click as they have throughout the series, and the Sens survived as Jake Sanderson scored to stave off elimination.
Toronto practiced at Ford Performance Centre on Monday, and Tavares participated, showing no ill effects of the hit from Zub. Auston Matthews did not practice due to maintenance but will play on Tuesday, and head coach Craig Berube indicated after the morning skate at Scotiabank Arena that there will be no lineup changes, which means that Max Pacioretty will remain on the third line with Bobby McMann and Max Domi in place of Nick Robertson.
With the elimination of the Toronto Marlies on Saturday, the Leafs have called up 14 players to serve as ‘black aces’. Forwards Alex Steeves, Jacob Quillan, Nicholas Abruzzese, Reese Johnson, Alex Nylander, and Roni Hirvonen, defensemen Matt Benning, Cade Webber, Topi Niemelä, William Villeneuve, Mikko Kokkonen, and Marshall Rifai, and goalies Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby.
The Leafs’ biggest enemy is not the Senators, but the Leafs of past seasons who did not come through when they had had chances to eliminate Boston, Montreal, or Tampa Bay. The only players remaining from those clubs are the core group, but they are integral to Toronto putting another mark in the win column on Tuesday.
While it is true that the Leafs have three opportunities to move forward to the next round and Ottawa must be perfect, the pressure is squarely on Toronto in Game 5 and will increase exponentially if the series goes six or seven games. It will be necessary for the Leafs to show the killer instinct they have failed to show in the playoffs over the last eight years and put away a team that most experts predicted they would beat.
Leafs fans have to be getting a little deja Vu nervousness after getting shut out last night. There are going to be a lot of finger nails on the ground during game 6 for sure.
I didn’t think the Leafs played bad at all in game 5. The fact that they can’t close out series has tio be waying on them though. I am starting to get concerned.
Less passes, more shots would have helped last night.