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Toronto Maple Leafs Look to Force a Game Six With Game 5 Victory

By James Tanner

TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 11: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a goal with teammate Auston Matthews #34 against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 11, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 11: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a goal with teammate Auston Matthews #34 against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 11, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that never quits, and they can cement that reputation with a big win tonight against the Florida Panthers.

Down 3-1, the Toronto Maple Leafs showed great resolve and determination in their Game Four victory, and will look to keep the momentum going tonight at home.

There are several factors in the Leafs favor, and if they can get it back to Florida for Game Six, anything can happen.

Joseph Woll gets the start, and he has had a great year and inspires confidence.  Not only that, but he’s a hell of a story, and in a situation where he can only be a hero.  He if falters, no one can blame him.

He’s probably already got the inside track to being the team’s starter next season.  I haven’t been this excited about a Leafs goalie since Curtis Joseph.

Toronto Maple Leafs Look for Victory

On top of the Woll factor, there are three other things that are working in the Leafs favour.

The first is that Florida, not a very good road team in the regular season, has won five in a row on the road.  They are overdue for not only a loss, but. sever beatdown.

Secondly, there is the penalty situation.  The Panthers are one of the most penalized teams in the NHL this year, and the refs have let them away with so much garbage this series.  Game One was called like a normal Panthers’ game, then Paul Maurice complained and the NHL listened.

It is time for a swing back in the Leafs direction, also known as “Reality.”  The fact that the NHL’s second most penalized team was able to go like six periods or whatever it was without a single minor penalty is one of the stupidest things to ever happen in hockey.

Of course it happened to the Leafs, that’s just how these things go.

The Third thing in the Leafs favour is that Auston Matthews has 18 shots and 34 shot attempts in this series, and zero goals.  Considering that he is the best goal scorer alive in the world today, these stats seem pretty crazy. (stats naturalstattrick.com).

Now regression to the norm isn’t guaranteed, but you have to figure that the penalties, the Panthers’ road record and the Auston Matthews thing will eventually go the way of the Leafs.

Auston Matthews Will Re-Sign With the Leafs. dark. Next

If that happens, the Toronto Maple Leafs might just make a series out of this yet.

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