The party was short-lived in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs are already struggling after the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and everyone knows the importance of Game 3 of the series. which could seal the 2022-2023 season.
After losing 3-2 in front of their fans on Thursday, head coach Sheldon Keefe’s men trail the Florida Panthers 2-0 and will have to defeat them four times in five outings if they hope to reach the four aces. For those interested, the last appearance of the Leafs in the Eastern Final dates back to the spring of 2002, when the Carolina Hurricanes showed them the way out.
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However, the Leafs believed they had found the solution to the Sergei Bobrovsky enigma by scoring two goals in the first period. However, the keeper then closed the door and once again showed his fine playoff form. Combined with defensive errors, the team in blue and white saw their two-goal lead quickly melt away, so the situation is now critical.
If the players concerned want to find the positive, they will remember that a delay of two games is not insurmountable, as the New Jersey Devils notably proved against the New York Rangers in the first round.
“We have to prove to people that we are a very good club and how hard we work. We have to show how we are going to bounce back,” Ilya Samsonov told the Toronto Sun daily.
Veteran Ryan O’Reilly shares his keeper’s opinion and expects a different result in future matches. “Being 2-0 down is not what we wanted. But it’s a long series. There is still plenty of hockey to be played. We must continue to build our game and not stay in trouble. Self-reflection is necessary. We need to improve in a few aspects. Let’s win the next game and build on that.”
Costly Mistakes
Among the adjustments requested, there is the reduction of undesirable errors such as the turnover of Auston Matthews which led to the decisive goal, that of Gustav Forsling in the middle commitment. Keefe has also expressed his feelings frankly about this.
“Really, it’s disappointing,” he told the media. We did not commit this type of fault once during the other series [face au Lightning de Tampa Bay]. This defeat is deplorable. We were going full throttle at the start of the fight and we let them come back. These are mistakes that we did not see before and that we cannot afford if we want to win.
In terms of unflattering statistics, Jake McCabe “dominates” his people with a differential of -5 since the start of the series, followed by TJ Brodie (-4) and William Nylander (-3). On offense, John Tavares has been shut out by the Panthers so far.
The third shock of the series will take place on Sunday, 6:30 p.m., at Sunrise and will be broadcast on TVA Sports.