The Maple Leafs can become the first team to punch their ticket to the second round as they chase a clean sweep tonight in Ottawa (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).
Keys to Game 4
via Anthony Petrielli (@APetrielli)
– To start with the obvious, the Sens are down and nearly out. Seize the moment.
– The Senators shifted matchups at home as expected, but the Leafs‘ depth on defense mitigated it. Pontus Holmberg led all Leafs players with 9:52 of ice time against Tim Stutzle’s line, for example, but the Leafs were comfortable with all three of their defense pairings matching up as needed.
– The Senators wanted the Matthews-Pinto matchup and got it. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner didn’t even play two minutes at five-on-five against any other Sens forward outside of Pinto’s line. The Leafs won those minutes 2-0, and that was the game. If the Leafs win the matchup again, Ottawa will really struggle to survive it.
– The Leafs’ small lineup tweak worked well. The McMann-Domi-Pacioretty line was effective with their size and generated chances. The trio playing more shifts together, and Max Pacioretty getting his timing back, provides promise. The Leafs may still need to move one of those wingers up to the second line for offense at some point.
– The two biggest things Leafs need to avoid: penalty trouble and allowing the game to open up with traded chances. The Leafs’ game at five-on-five, when played at their pace, has been really solid. The Senators have struggled to create much of anything against it. Add in the power-play production, and it’s a good recipe for success.
Game Day Quotes
Travis Green on the difficulty of sitting down 3-0 in the series after two overtime losses:
It is hard when you lose two games in overtime. Everyone is telling them, “Hey, you could be up 2-1 quite easily.” That is reality, but the reality is, we are not.
We have gone about getting our team ready to play a certain way all year. That has been by being very honest with how we have played and how we need to play.
I felt like the last game might have been our worst game of the series, and I thought Toronto played really well. And when I say worst, we weren’t bad.
We just care about winning tonight. Our guys are excited to play. I know that. When you listen not the crowd the other night, they haven’t experienced that here.
I have coached in a lot of loud buildings. I thought the building in Toronto was extremely loud. On the other night, I don’t know if I have coached in a louder building. That is exciting for players who haven’t played in the playoffs.
We’re just looking at one game tonight and playing our best game — not our B game. We want to bring our A game tonight.
Tim Stutzle on what has made the Leafs’ special teams so difficult to handle in the series so far:
Bounces off our guys.
I think we just have to do a better job. They play hard and get pucks to the net. I am watching other games as well, and a lot of the time, it deflects off your own guy or somebody else.
We just have to do a better job of cleaning guys out up front and giving the goalie a better chance to see the puck.
Craig Berube on the team’s approach to an elimination opportunity:
I don’t think there is a different approach. Each individual on the team needs to focus on their shift, what they need to do, and the process of it all. They are going to push hard, as they have every game. That is no different for me tonight.
We just have to focus on what we need to do. For each individual, it is your battles and your puck management. Just keep playing how you’ve been playing.
Berube on the keys to keeping the team’s penalty count down compared to Game 3:
You have to understand not to react to the scrums and all of that. Play hard between the whistles. I get that there are desperation plays sometimes, and you take penalties. That is going to happen in the game. It is the other stuff that you have to be really good at it — having composure and initiating as much as you can.
I don’t have an answer for it. It is just the understanding of it.
Simon Benoit on all of the love and attention he is receiving from the Leafs’ fan base:
I am not used to it, that is for sure.
No, it is fun. We have the greatest fans out there. You just have to embrace it.
Benoit on whether Berube’s systems are thriving in the playoffs:
Everybody knows that in the playoffs, it gets tight. There is not much space on the ice.
With his system, everything is simple, right? To the net, hard, physical. I think his style of play is for sure helping us.
Benoit on his growing confidence/involvement offensively:
My first job is to be reliable offensively, but if I see an opening, I will try to take it for sure. My first job is to be reliable back there, and I’ll just focus on that. If an opportunity comes up offensively, why not?
John Tavares on Berube’s impact on the team this season and how his style of play is translating in the playoffs:
Chief has tried to build our team identity and our game to be consistent and very similar all year long. We built that through training camp and the regular season, and then we want it to translate to this time of year.
There was a really strong familiarity, comfort level, and belief in what you are doing and how you are doing it.
The things he has been preaching all year have been really good. It’s translated so far really well. We have to keep it up.
Scott Laughton on the opportunity to eliminate an opponent and advance to the second round:
We have talked all series about staying composed and playing good structurally. We will continue to do that and have some fun with it.
These opportunities are pretty special to be a part of. We will continue to do it and take it a step at a time.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#67 Max Pacioretty — #11 Max Domi — #74 Bobby McMann
#18 Steven Lorentz — #24 Scott Laughton — #19 Calle Jarnkrok
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #25 Brandon Carlo
#2 Simon Benoit — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goaltenders
Starter: #41 Anthony Stolarz
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Nick Robertson, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Philippe Myers, Dakota Mermis, Artur Akhtyamov, Jani Hakanpaa
Ottawa Senators Projected Lines
Forwards
#7 Brady Tkachuk — #18 Tim Stutzle — #28 Claude Giroux
#20 Fabian Zetterlund — #24 Dylan Cozens — #19 Drake Batherson
#71 Ridly Greig — #12 Shane Pinto — #22 Michael Amadio
#57 David Perron — #81 Adam Gaudette — #21 Nick Cousins
Defensemen
#85 Jake Sanderson — #2 Artem Zub
#72 Thomas Chabot — #3 Nick Jensen
#43 Tyler Kleven — #33 Nikolas Mattinpalo
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Linus Ullmark
#31 Anton Forsberg
Extras: Matthew Highmore, Hayden Hodgson, Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic, Leevi Merilainen
