Maple Leafs embracing adversity ahead of Game 3 at Panthers

TORONTO -- Despite losing the first two games of their Eastern Conference Second Round series against the Florida Panthers at home, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe felt inspired enough to use words like "confident," "optimistic" and "competitive" on Saturday.

Ahead of Game 3 of the best-of-7 series at FLA Live Arena on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; TBS, CBC, SN, TVAS), Keefe's choice of words were quite different than those he used following the 3-2 loss in Game 2 on Thursday.

"The challenge is the challenge and it's pretty obvious of course, but the group feels good and remains confident and optimistic," Keefe said Saturday. "We're excited to get out on the road. It's a place we've developed some confidence, but it doesn't make it any easier.

"The puck will drop and the game will be hard and competitive again, but we just have to stay with it as a group, minimize our mistakes, stay on the attack and keep shooting."

RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs. Panthers series coverage]

After a terrific start in Game 2, building a 2-0 lead 5:10 into the game, Toronto squandered the advantage and allowed Florida to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead with goals 47 seconds apart by center Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Gustav Forsling early in the second period. That led to Keefe choosing words like "disappointing" and "baffling" to describe his team's performance after the game.

Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020 and 2021), said Toronto needs to embrace the situation.

"To my knowledge or my experience, I don't think there's ever been a team in the history of the NHL who has gone through the playoffs and had great runs without going through adversity," Schenn said. "That could be dealing with injuries, that could be being down in a series, I've never seen a playoffs that has been totally smooth sailing.

"If you get through the adversity, you pull through it. It does make you better in the end and it does make you stronger."

Part of the disappointment for Toronto is it has generated more than enough offensive chances to win at least one, if not each, of the first two games. But it has not been able to solve Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky often enough.

Bobrovsky has made 69 saves on 73 shots so far in the series.

"Just get some more guys in front," said Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who leads Toronto with 13 shots through Games 1 and 2. "I think we were doing a pretty good job against Tampa [Bay], getting tips and screens."

Beyond getting more traffic in front of Bobrovsky, Schenn said the Maple Leafs need to be better in fundamental areas in Game 3. In addition to Nylander's neutral-zone turnover that led to Barkov's tying goal in Game 2 and the ill-advised drop pass from forward Mitchell Marner to center Auston Matthews inside the blue line that resulted in Forsling's go-ahead goal, the Panthers forecheck was on display on their first goal as well, when forward Eetu Luostarinen's hit on defenseman Timothy Liljegren in the corner led to a turnover that contributed to center Anton Lundell's goal to cut the lead to 2-1 at 11:13 of the first period.

"Winning in general in the playoffs comes down to taking care of the front of your net and winning battles in front of their net," Schenn said. "That's the hard areas, it's being hard and firm in the corners, winning the battles on the wall, at the blue line, the red line, the details.

"You're not seeing a ton of goals off the rush, you do here and there, but typically games are won and lost in the hard areas."

Toronto will be without forward Matthew Knies for Games 3 and 4 after he sustained a concussion when he was hit by Florida center Sam Bennett in Game 2. Zach Aston-Reese, a healthy scratch in Game 2, skated on a line with center David Kampf and right wing Sam Lafferty during practice Saturday. Alex Kerfoot took Knies' spot at left wing on a line with center Ryan O'Reilly and right wing Noel Acciari.

Erik Gustafsson, a healthy scratch in all but Game 6 of the first round against the Lightning, worked with the power play unit Saturday, suggesting he could enter the lineup, though Keefe wouldn't say.

If the Maple Leafs are going to avoid going down 3-0 in this series, their road record will have to remain perfect. They are 3-0 away from home this postseason, and 1-4 at Scotiabank Arena.

"It's hard to say what exactly it is," Keefe said of Toronto's success on the road. "Everything about being on the road at this time of year is simpler. It's how you play, perhaps that's going to be a little bit simpler and you just focus on getting the win.

"There's less distractions on the road in terms of different obligations that everybody has when you leave the building. When you leave the arena on the road, you're with your teammates, you're back to the hotel, you're resting, it's a very controlled environment."