Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Will Bounce Back In Game 2

Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Lightning in game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

IIt was the biggest game of the season so far, and many fans had high expectations for their team heading into that one. It’s safe to say the Toronto Maple Leafs fell extremely short of those expectations.

The Leafs had a very rough game one. Almost everything went wrong.

They were down 3-0 after the first period, they let in 4 power-play goals, Ilya Samsonov was pulled after letting in 6 goals on 29 shots, Michael Bunting got himself suspended after receiving a match penalty, and the Leafs ended up getting embarrassed at home, losing 7-3. (stats: covers.com)

Toronto Maple Leafs Will Bounce Back

I have faith that the Leafs will bounce back in game 2 on Thursday.

In each of the past four first-round series, the Leafs have been tied at 1-1 after 2 games every single time. I believe the Leafs do that again this year.

Another thing the Leafs have on their side in this game 2 is home-ice advantage. The Leafs had a very strong 27-8-6 at home this year, compared to Tampa, who had a subpar 18-22-1 record on the road (stats: statmuse.com).

Of course, home-ice advantage didn’t help the Leafs in game 1, but I expect it to play a huge factor in this series and I believe the Leafs will use it to their advantage in game 2 and beyond.

I also believe this game was a much-needed wake-up call for the Leafs. For those who watched the game, we can all agree that the Leafs came out very slow.

In contrast, last year’s game 1 featured a complete effort from the Leafs from start to finish, where they ended up winning 5-0.

The Leafs also realized special teams will play a massive factor in this series. While some calls did not go their way, the Leafs still need to be more disciplined.

Toronto took 6 penalties in game 1, including a 5-minute major from Michael Bunting. That is way too many penalties, especially against a team like the Lightning, who took full advantage of their opportunities, scoring 4 power-play goals. One of the few bright spots for the Leafs in an otherwise bad game was their own power play, where they scored twice on four chances.

In short, every Leafs fan knows their team has to be better, and the players know that as well. While this game was a tough start to this series, I believe the Leafs can bounce back. They did it last year, overcoming a 7-3 loss in game 4 to win a crucial game 5. As well as rebounding from an early 2-0 deficit to win that same 5th game.

Of course, however, last year is last year. This is a new season. The Leafs did not show up to play last night, and they know they need to be better from here on out if they want to finally win a playoff series.

I think they can do it, but we’ll see Thursday night if Leafs fans are celebrating a win in the streets of Toronto, or if fans are emptying Scotiabank Arena early like they were in game 1.