The Toronto Maple Leafs lost Game 4 before the first period was over. Whatever jump they might have had to start the game was erased by four consecutive penalties, eventually leading to the Panthers first goal. After that, the Leafs seemed lost and unable to muster any offensive pressure. There was no point in Game 4 where the Leafs looked like they were playing their game.
With the Leafs having a home-ice advantage for Game 5 on Wednesday, they need to stick to their game plan and use the benefit of having the last line change to their advantage. Losing on home ice is not an option at this point. The Leafs can't afford to be down 3-2 in the series when the series returns to Florida on Friday for Game 6. Hopefully, the extra day in between games will help the Leafs regroup and regain their focus.
I wouldn't be surprised if Leafs head coach Craig Berube makes some minor lineup changes ahead of Game 5. The Leafs fell apart in Game 3 and didn't get much going in Game 4, so it might be time to shake things up a little. One player we might see return to the lineup is Nick Robertson. Robertson hasn't played since Game 2 of the Leafs first-round series with the Ottawa Senators. His speed could be just what the Leafs offense needs. The Leafs might also opt to put David Kampf into the lineup as a defensive forward option, but he hasn't played since April 2nd.
Regardless of what changes, if any, that the Leafs make, there are a few other things that need to go right for the Leafs if they want to win Game 5 on Wednesday. Here is a look at three things that the Leafs have to hope works for them as they try to regain the series lead.
3 Things the Leafs need to do to win Game 5
Discipline
The Leafs need to stay out of the penalty box. They need to avoid taking stupid penalties like interference, high-sticking, boarding, and any sort of retaliation penalty. The Panthers will do everything they can to provoke the Leafs into taking retaliation penalties. For the majority of this series, the Leafs have been slightly better at 5-on-5, so they need to make the Panthers try to beat them at 5-on-5. Keep the pressure on them in their zone and limit their power play time.
Power Play
With the amount of firepower the Leafs have in their lineup, going 2-for-15 on the power play through four games is not good enough. The Leafs need to figure out what's working and not working on their power play and make the necessary adjustments. Every final score in this series has been close, so scoring a power play goal could be the deciding factor in the outcome. The Leafs need to capitalize on power play opportunities.
Crowd the Net
The Leafs need to put bodies in front of Sergei Bobrovsky and limit his vision of the puck. Matthew Knies and John Tavares are great at this and need to do it more often. Yes, the Leafs need Auston Matthews to score and Marner to score more often, but regardless of who is shooting the puck, the Leafs need to crowd the Panthers' net. Pucks on the net as much as possible from every angle. You never know when you'll get a tip-in or a rebound, or have the puck bounce off a player and in on a redirection. The bottom line is, shoot the puck.