The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the biggest game of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers and Sunday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Leafs are coming off a disappointing Game 3 loss that saw them drop a gut-wrenching 5-4 overtime loss on a goal by none other than Brad Marchand. They blew a unique opportunity to put a 3-0 chokehold on the series.
Instead, the Panthers momentarily got back into the series, now looking to even the affair before heading back to Scotiabank Arena for Game 5.
That is why Sunday night’s Game 4 is the biggest game of the series between the Maple Leafs and Panthers. A win gives the Leafs a commanding lead and three chances to close out the Cats.
A loss, however, will unleash a firestorm of questions and uncertainty regarding the Leafs’ ability to hang with high-end clubs in the postseason.
I will say that the Leafs had the Panthers on the ropes. They were up 3-1 before letting the Panthers get back into the game in the second period of Game 3. Had the Leafs clamped down at that point, this conversation could have been more about going for the series sweep than taking full control of the showdown.
In my estimation, the Game 3 loss became a teachable moment for Craig Berube. The lesson to be learned is what happens when you let a team like the Panthers off the hook. The Leafs took their foot off the gas and the Panthers got back into the game.
Perhaps that is something teams can get away with during the regular season. But in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the defending Cup champions playing desperate hockey, that’s something the Leafs cannot even possibly hope to get away with.
Focusing on full 60 minutes is Toronto Maple Leafs’ key to winning Game 4
So, we know the Toronto Maple Leafs can hang with the Cats. If that weren’t the case, Toronto would be staring at a 3-0 deficit.
The key for Toronto then becomes the need to play a full 60 minutes. The Leafs need to come flying out of the gate and build up an early lead. Then, Toronto must put to kibosh on the game as the Panthers run out of gas.
Yes, that’s right.
The Panthers are on the older side and will likely run out of gas if the game is out of reach by the third period. Allowing the Cats to stay in the game is a great way of giving them a second breath heading down the game’s final minutes.
That’s why the Leafs cannot allow the Panthers to get any sort of psychological boost. The building must be quiet as the game winds down.
It remains to be seen how Game 4 will turn out. But judging from what we’ve seen so far in this series, it could only be a matter of time before the Leafs bust open and truly pour it on the Panthers.
Don’t be surprised if three consecutive springs of long playoff runs finally catch up to the Panthers in this series against the Leafs.