Honour. Pride. Courage. Do the Leafs live these traits tonight, or are they just words on their jersey collars/dressing room wall? (8:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC/TNT)
Keys to Game 6
via Anthony Petrielli (@APetrielli)
– It’s put-up-or-shut-up time for the Leafs after an absolute dud in Game 5. We’ve talked about the lack of puck battles won for a few games now. We can only talk about it so much; the Leafs either do it, or the ice is going to be tilted against them all game long again. On a similar note, the Leafs‘ forecheck needs to start recovering some pucks.
– The Leafs need to make Sergei Bobrovsky’s life way more uncomfortable with traffic and second/third opportunites off of rebounds.
– We’ve said it all series: The Leafs‘ power play needs to win them a game in this series. It has been actively poor so far. They need to break through with down-low plays, bumping it to the slot as opposed to working the top umbrella area.
– Craig Berube has made his bed with the top-six lines at this rate. If they are playing poorly again, he should switch #16 and #88, but it kind of is what it is overall.
– The matchups are not in the Leafs’ favour, but Toronto pays their big guns huge money, and with that, they need to dominate their matchups. It is supposed to be the upside of the trade-off within their roster construction, but the top players aren’t delivering. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner need to drive the bus, not ride it.
Game Day Quotes
Mitch Marner on his 360 backhand pass for a turnover before the Jesper Boqvist 3-0 goal in Game 5:
I was just trying to make a play. I couldn’t really get it off the wall. I tried to hit the far guy, and then on the 3-on-2 back, I was trying to cheat the pass back and didn’t take away the post.
It is obviously a big mistake. You make mistakes. You’re human. You’re just making sure you clear your mind of that. You know you have better. Bring it tonight.
Marner on how he reset after the disappointment of Game 5:
Go home, and now hang out with my son and my dog. They don’t have a clue what is going on in this world. I go home and hang out with them and enjoy some personal time with them.
We just cuddled in the sun, and I was talking and hanging out with him, enjoying those moments. That is really what matters in life. It makes you forget what happens on a bad day or a good day. It is something I am thankful for, and it’s how I go home, reset, and get my mind right.
Auston Matthews on the areas for improvement from Game 5:
Puck battles. The puck battles weren’t great for us as a team. Those are so important. They’re a big, heavy team, obviously, and they’re strong down low. It’s about being stronger in those puck battles and winning those 50-50s to be able to break out, get the puck out of our zone, through the neutral zone, and into the offensive zone.
Matthews on his level of frustration with his lack of goals in the first five games of the series:
Of course, you want to score, but it’s also about doing all of the other little things. I’m getting opportunities, and it is on me to capitalize on them. I am just going to continue to shoot, work, compete, and do the little things to the best of my ability. When those opportunites come, I just have to keep shooting and believing the next one is going in.
Matthews on how he feels physically at this point in the playoffs:
I don’t think anybody is at 100% at this point. It is just about being able to grind through all of that stuff mentally and physically. Everyone is going through something. You are just trying to put your best out there, staying focused, competing, working, and battling. Those second and third efforts are important at this time of year.
Craig Berube on his team’s response since the Game 5 loss:
Well, Game 5 is over. That’s over with. Excited and ready to go. Go play.
Berube on what message he can convey to the players to help the team relax after “overthinking” Game 5:
It is hard to give them a message to relax. Everyone is nervous. It is normal for both teams. There are always nerves. You have to go out, get involved in the game, and play.
The whole thing for me: We didn’t skate right away in the last game. We stood around and watched. You can’t play that way. We’ve got to skate and get to our identity as a team right now.
Berube on taking David Kampf and Nick Robertson out of the lineup:
I liked our game with the other guys in the lineup. We lost a couple, added some fresh guys and fresh legs, and the other guys are now rested and ready to go. We played good hockey with that lineup we have tonight.
Berube on whether he considered splitting up Matthews and Marner:
It is always a consideration. I have split them up at times this year. I never felt that it really did anything, to be honest with you. These guys have been a combo for a long time and have had a lot of success. I trust them and believe in them.
Paul Maurice on the Leafs bringing their best effort in a do-or-die scenario:
Maybe the environment changes, but every team is going to do that exact idea. You are coming out, and it’s the playoffs. Flat out, you’re getting the other team’s very best.
We would possibly have a desire advantage in that we are right there for a prize. They would have a desperation advantage. It is the team that controls those things the best that has the best chance to win.
When you want it that bad, you start making plays to get it. You want to win the game every time you touch the puck. When you have desperation, it is the same idea: You want to make something happen every time. You want to control those emotions a little bit, keep the energy, and make no secret plays.
Maurice on how/if his team has cracked down on the Leafs’ rush offense in the past few games:
I don’t think we have a handle on it yet. Take Game 1 out, and of the last four games, Game 5 was our smallest differential in chances for and against. Our best differential was actually Game 2.
I don’t feel like we have a handle on it or have it controlled. I think we understand it, but understanding something and being able to do something about it are two different things. I think we are okay with it, but they were in alone on us a bunch of times. I don’t think we are getting rid of all of it.
That is why Sergei (Bobrovsky) is what he is to us. That is how important he is. To completely prevent it, we would have to completely change the way we play, and we are a little far down the road for that.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#18 Steven Lorentz — #24 Scott Laughton — #19 Calle Jarnkrok
#74 Bobby McMann — #11 Max Domi — #67 Max Pacioretty
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #25 Brandon Carlo
#2 Simon Benoit — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#30 Matt Murray
Injured: Anthony Stolarz
Extras: Nick Robertson, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Philippe Myers, Dakota Mermis, Jani Hakanpaa, Dennis Hildeby
Florida Panthers Projected Lines
Forwards
#70 Jesper Boqvist — #16 Aleksander Barkov — #13 Sam Reinhart
#23 Carter Verhaeghe — #9 Sam Bennett — #19 Matthew Tkachuk
#27 Eetu Luostarinen — #15 Anton Lundell — #63 Brad Marchand
#10 AJ Greer — #92 Tomas Nosek — #17 Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
#42 Gustav Forsling — #5 Aaron Ekblad
#77 Niko Mikkola — #3 Seth Jones
#88 Nate Schmidt — #7 Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Starter: #72 Sergei Bobrovsky
#41 Vitek Vanecek
