After a horrendous showing in Game 5 in their second round series against the Florida Panthers, the Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back with a strong effort in Game 6 to prevail 2-0 to tie the series at three. In doing so, the Leafs have managed to force a winner-takes-all Game 7 to be played back home at Scotiabank Arena.
Many may still have their doubts on the Maple Leafs to finally come through against the Panthers. But in fact, they actually have a better shot to succeed than one would think. For Toronto to come away with the improbable victory, there are three key things that will need to happen to ensure it comes to fruition.
3 Keys to a Maple Leafs Game 7 victory over the Panthers
The captain should lead the way
What better way for the Leafs to accomplish the feat than to have their best superstar lead the way. That’s right, Auston Matthews needs to do what he did in Game 6 and not like what he has done during the rest of the series in the games prior. Star players need to step up their game and lead by example in the most important games of the season. With the season on the line, Matthews came through by scoring his first ever playoff goal beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it turned out to be the game winner.
Prior to Game 6, the Panthers had held the captain mainly in check, keeping him scoreless with just three assists in his first five games of the series. More importantly, Matthews hadn’t been his usual fearful scoring threat that he usually presented to his opponents. By finally potting his first goal in the series, it should provide the motivation and ignite the 27-year-old superstar heading into Game 7. So if the Leafs want to win the pivotal game, Matthews will need to show up once again.
Joseph Woll be on top of his game
With blowouts likely no longer happening after the Leafs learned their lesson the hard way in Game 5, it should be a tight-scoring affair in the winner-takes-all game on Sunday. Anthony Stolarz likely won’t be available, and even if he is, it might not be a good idea to insert him right into the most important game of Toronto’s season to get him back up to speed. As a result, Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll will need to be the one tasked to hold the Panthers at bay in Game 7.
In order for Toronto to win, they need Game 4 or 6 Woll to show up, as opposed to Game 5 Woll. Not only that, he will need to ensure that he doesn’t allow any soft goals to deflate any momentum the team may have. Therefore, Woll will need to continue his dominance in elimination games, in which he has gone 4-1 with a 1.13 GAA, .958 save percentage with one shutout to help carry the Leafs to victory.
Win the special teams battle
Finally, to ensure smooth sailing into the confidence finals, the Leafs must make their special teams count. During the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Toronto has only managed two goals with the man advantage, despite their power play being one of their main strengths that carried them through the first round against the Ottawa Senators. In fact, they have been scoring at just a 10% clip in such situations during their series against Florida.
On the other hand, the Panthers have scored in four of the six games to date with the man advantage and could have had more if it wasn’t for some heroics by Woll in the recent matches. As a result, the Leafs should do their best to play an aggressive game while staying out of the penalty. At the same time, they need to put the game away for good whenever they get their chances again on the power play. Especially if Matthew Knies can’t go for Game 7, who has been their key playoff performer and their main net-front presence with the man advantage, someone will need to step up to ensure it’s effectiveness going forward.
If the Leafs can follow through on each of those, they can book their ticket to the conference finals for the first time in over 23 years.