It’s time to deep-six Lightning
Leafs need to do whatever they can to avoid a repeat of painful past playoff failures
Everybody is well-acquainted with the historical futility of playoff Game 7s for the Maple Leafs.
But it’s Game 6 that has truly been their bête noire.
A year ago they lost that encounter with the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime, bringing the series back home to Scotiabank Arena and … you know. The killer instinct, going for the jugular when they’ve got an opponent on the ropes, seems a missing gene.
For those whose memory goes back that far, Game 6 of the Clarence Campbell Conference final in 1993 — that remarkable post-season swirl — was even worse in the annals of horrors. Pursuing their first Stanley Cup final since 1967, the Doug Gilmour-led Leafs got Gretzky-struck: No. 99’s high stick on Gilmour — his bleeding chin obvious evidence — wasn’t called early in overtime, then Gretzky put a shiv between the ribs a few minutes later on the game-winner. Not even a hat trick by Wendel Clark could rescue Toronto that night in Los Angeles. Then Game 7 and … you know.
So it would greatly behoove the Leafs to rid themselves of the Lightning on Saturday night at Amalie Arena, which would require a third road win for Toronto in this opening-round series. The Leafs haven’t pulled off that since 1951. Fortunately, neither team has been daunted playing in the other’s rink. The Leafs have done this and are totally capable of doing it again, albeit dragging along an 0-10 record in the Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner era in contests where the opponents faced elimination, 0-11 going back to 2013.
After Thursday’s 4-2 loss, a whole lot of babble has been expended on how the Leafs might elevate their chances of booting the Bolts pronto, precluding a do-or-die scenario Monday. Much of that focus is fixated on Justin Holl, who was a flatout disaster in Game 5. His team has been outscored 9-2 when he has been on the ice at even strength during the series, and he has been on the ice for 14 Tampa Bay goals overall. Not that Mark Giordano (8-3) has provided much of a buffer for his often tangle-footed defence partner. The rearguard tandem was positionally haywire on two of Tampa’s goals Thursday. Giordano has looked all of his 39 years but it was Holl who offered no resistance on key Lightning attacks: Anthony Cirelli blew past him on the first goal, ditto for Michael Eyssimont on the second when Holl turned the wrong way.
Perhaps this is the critical juncture where Sheldon Keefe draws in Tim Liljegren for Holl instead? In a word: No.
As the coach had stated after the game when pressed about Holl: “My first response would be, whether he has been on the ice by himself in those situations. I think the answer is that he is not out there by himself when he is in those situations getting scored on.”
Keefe doubled down in his reliance on the Holl-Giordano pairing Friday, even while acknowledging their missteps and addressing corrective fixes. “Keeping guys in front of you, not letting guys get in behind. That would be a big one. But those guys have done a really good job for us all season. Some guys have taken a step backwards, some guys have taken a big step forward. This time of the year, the challenge of the opponent affects everybody differently. Certainly those guys have been and can be better again.”
They’ll have to be because the Lightning have a snootful of momentum, coupled with their paramount playoff IQ.
In the details, it’s easy to point a finger of blame at Holl, ignoring the fact that he is a valiant shot-blocker and steadfast penalty-killer. When self-confidence erodes, however, he typically struggles further. But the core issue is teamwide. They’ve allowed a furious Tampa forecheck to throw them off their signature game, which relies on speed and fluid transition from defence to offence. The Lightning have done an admirable job of obstructing the neutral zone and swarming the Toronto end, keeping the Leafs penned in for long stretches.
Frustrated by their inability to penetrate that smothering in Game 5, the Leafs were forced increasingly into stretch passes and dumping out the puck, thus sacrificing possession.
Morgan Rielly astutely assessed the dilemma of Tampa’s territorial command in the immediate aftermath of Toronto’s loss.
“Our (defence) needs to bring the puck out a little bit better. That’s the root of it, I think. When they’re putting the puck in, they’re tending to get it back a little bit. When we’re able to execute and break out, we’ve had some success. We’re able to play with speed through the neutral zone and go into their end and control play. But everything starts with our back end. When they’re able to turn it over, keep us hemmed in, that’s obviously when they get rolling around.”
John Tavares continued that theme Friday, discussing the execution habits they’ve built up all year. “Skating off the puck, getting the outlets and the options, especially when guys are under pressure, whether it’s our D or pucks on the wall and those contested battles, plays that are tough to make. To generate momentum and get our speed going through the neutral zone and onto the forecheck, finding our way through that. (That) lets us get our game going into their end and slow them down. Our strength is getting pucks to the net and building momentum shift to shift.”
It was otherwise a day of rest and preparation before boarding the plane, with Keefe adding an arresting detail. “There are a couple of things happening with some of our players in terms of injury. That will play itself out throughout the day and probably part of tomorrow.” Giordano’s condition is most likely one, after he was boarded into the glass by Pat Maroon and crumpled to the ice, with no penalty called.
“Any time there’s hits in the numbers, you’re concerned,” Keefe said. “There’s been a few of those from that player in particular in this series. To see a player smash his head off the glass — it’s a tough look.”
Keefe confirmed Michael Bunting will rejoin the lineup, though that doesn’t mean rookie Matthew Knies is coming out. Possibly Sam Lafferty will sit instead. The fourth line has scuffled.
“He would bring energy,” Keefe said of the rambunctious Bunting, who remained in civvies Thursday after serving his three-game suspension for an illegal hit to Erik Cernák’s head. “The series, as it goes on, weighs on everybody in terms of the grind that it is. So having a guy that hasn’t played come in can give us a boost that way.”
Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who clearly enjoys his media sessions more than his counterpart, had said after Game 5: “Let’s be honest, this game’s so damn fun. You’ve got two teams going at it. There’s so many storylines. Seriously, wouldn’t you guys have been pissed off if this ended tonight?”
Not really.