3 Keys: Panthers at Maple Leafs, Game 5 of Eastern 2nd Round

Florida needs puck movement to close out series; Toronto must reverse home fortunes to stay alive

By Mike Zeisberger

@Zeisberger NHL.com Staff Writer

May 12, 2023

(WC2) Panthers at (A2) Maple Leafs

Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 5

Florida leads best-of-7 series, 3-1

7 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS

TORONTO --The Toronto Maple Leafs will attempt to stave off elimination for a second time when they host the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Second Round at Scotiabank Arena.

After losing the first three games in the best-of-7 series, the Maple Leafs extended their season with a 2-1 victory in Game 4 at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday. They still trail 3-1, however, and know the odds are heavily against them.

Only four teams in NHL history have come back from down 3-0 to win in a best-of-7 series: the Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final; the New York Islanders against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals; the Philadelphia Flyers against the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals; and the Los Angeles Kings against the San Jose Sharks in the 2014 Western Conference First Round.

For Toronto, as much of a cliche as it is, the mandate remains the same: take it one game at a time and don't look ahead.

"Guys, just dig in and stay with it," coach Sheldon Keefe said after the Maple Leafs optional morning skate Friday. "That's what was so disappointing in the first three games. At different times, whether it was playing with the lead or fighting our way back into the games like in Game 1, we didn't stay with it and started getting away from some of the things that gave us some success previously.

"But the other night, showing fight, not allowing our season to end, that was a very good sign."

Keefe said he liked how the team came together, off the ice as well as on, as opposed to "pointing fingers or assigning blame."

The coach was also encouraged that forward Matthew Knies and goalie Ilya Samsonov, each out with an upper-body injury, participated in full at the morning skate. Neither is available for Game 5 but they're each trending in the right direction.

Toronto is still hopeful of advancing past the second round for the first time since 2002.

The Panthers, on the other hand, do not want to let the Maple Leafs back into the series and aim to oust Toronto and advance to the conference final for the second time in their history and first time since 1996.

"We've been under pressure since January so we're just day by day," Florida forward Sam Reinhart said. "We're just day by day.

"Another chance to close it out. That fourth one is always the most difficult. We're excited about the challenge."

Teams with a 3-1 lead are 303-32 (90.4 percent) winning a best-of-7 series in the playoffs, including 4-1 in the first round.

Here are three keys to Game 5:

1. Home sweet groan?

Scotiabank Arena has not been kind to the Maple Leafs in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have lost three consecutive games on home ice and are 1-4 there in the postseason.

Now there is no wiggle room left; whether it means they play a more simple game and not try to be too fancy in order to entertain the crowd remains to be seen, but Toronto must find a way to win Friday if it wants to keep playing this season.

"We've had a mixed bag here," Keefe said. "I thought two of the best games we've had in the playoffs have been here, Game 2 of both series (a 7-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and a 3-2 loss in this series) ... I think we're overdue to have a really good game here."

2. Move your feet!

Though Panthers coach Paul Maurice gave credit to Maple Leafs rookie goalie Joseph Woll for his play in Game 4, Woll's first career Stanley Cup Playoff start, he said Florida needs to improve its skating, especially when it has the puck.

"We were standing still far too much when we had it," Maurice said. "We need to have better movement."

The Panthers had 25 shots Wednesday, many of them from the periphery instead of the dirty areas in front of the net where they found success in the first three games.

3. Matthews' time?

Center Auston Matthews, who scored 40 goals during the regular season and five in six first-round games against the Lightning, has not scored through the first four games of this series.

But Keefe is quick to point out the tide could have shifted had Matthews' shot in the opening minutes of Game 3 gone in instead of hitting the crossbar.

"I'd be concerned if he wasn't getting opportunities but he is," Keefe said. "As long as that's happening, keep shooting."

With the Maple Leafs having been held to two goals in six straight games, they badly need No. 34 to step up.