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Toronto Maple Leafs Sports activities NHL Hockey
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The place there’s a will — and a Woll — there’s a means.
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The Maple Leafs had been full marks for his or her 2-1 victory towards the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night time at FLA Reside Enviornment.
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The Leafs’ season isn’t over, and in the event that they play in Recreation 5 on Friday at Scotiabank Enviornment like they did in Recreation 4, rely on the best-of-seven to proceed.
That will be in Recreation 6 on Sunday in Florida. However let’s not get too far forward of ourselves.
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Our takeaways from Recreation 4, or how the Leafs gained to get one other probability to compete within the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs:
FULL TEAM EFFORT
We’ll get to Mitch Marner, and rookie goalie Joseph Woll, in a minute.
First, the Leafs as a complete.
You realize the cliche concerning the little particulars being of the utmost significance?
The Leafs performed with urgency. They had been decided. They’d character, loads of it. Their season wasn’t over.
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The Leafs gained puck battles. They blocked photographs. They bought their sticks in lanes. They backchecked. They didn’t let the strain of the Panthers forecheck hassle them. There was no panic.
By the point the ultimate horn sounded, Florida had 25 photographs on aim. The Leafs additionally had 25 photographs on aim.
The Leafs blocked 22 photographs. Fourteen of them had at the very least one block. Noel Acciari, who took a shot off his hand late within the sport, led the Leafs with 4 blocks. He led the Leafs with seven hits.
Alex Kerfoot blocked a Brandon Montour shot early within the sport. Mark Giordano hustled again to take a lane away from Anthony Duclair.
The examples stored coming.
William Nylander backchecked all the best way again, deep to the defensive zone, to interrupt up an odd-man rush.
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Within the third interval, captain John Tavares blocked an Aaron Ekblad drive. David Kampf led a rush and when it didn’t pan out, rotated and helped snuff out a Panthers rush.
Luke Schenn knocked the puck away from Carter Verhaeghe within the last minutes, denying a scoring probability.
Tavares was 7-0 within the faceoff circle. Kampf was 7-2.
Coach Sheldon Keefe referred to as it the Leafs’ greatest effort of the season. No argument there.
And that it got here within the largest sport of the season, with all the things — jobs, potential trades, a brand new path for the group — on the road? Maintain these ‘Leafs don’t have any coronary heart’ ideas to yourselves.
MARNER BACKS IT UP
Marner was defiant with media on Tuesday, reminding the assembled reporters after follow that the gamers don’t care about what is claimed about them outdoors the dressing room, and don’t take heed to it.
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So no, the gamers apparently didn’t know that media and followers alike had been calling for heads after Toronto went down 3-0 within the sequence.
We’re unsure we imagine that the gamers tune all the things out, however would Marner take that anger and channel his center finger towards the Panthers?
He did.
Marner had not scored a aim for the reason that second sport of the primary spherical towards the Tampa Bay Lightning. He bought the winner in the course of the third interval, when his shot by means of a Ryan O’Reilly display eluded goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Marner scored when he completely needed to. That capacity eludes most gamers.
Marner threw 4 hits. Solely Acciari and Jake McCabe (5) had extra amongst Leafs. Marner was key on the penalty kill. With the Leafs’ season within the steadiness, the Selke Trophy candidate was the place we’ve come to count on him: On the ice for the ultimate one minute 12 seconds, serving to defend a one-goal lead.
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The core 4 needed to be the drivers on Wednesday. Marner, who additionally had an help, led the best way.
Nylander scored. Auston Matthews had a team-best eight shot makes an attempt. Tavares led the Leafs with 5 photographs on aim. All of them had been engaged.
WOLL’S A WALL
Maybe Woll will really feel strain sooner or later within the Nationwide Hockey League. We haven’t seen it but.
Granted, Woll has performed in simply 14 video games, common season included, however the 24-year-old has earned his strategy to one of the best hockey league on this planet.
In reduction of an injured Ilya Samsonov and with veteran Matt Murray watching from the bench, Woll performed with the composure of a man who has executed this earlier than.
Woll’s confidence was clear from the primary shot he confronted. He was in place. He didn’t hand over a ton of juicy rebounds. His focus was sharp.
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Simply as essential, Woll’s teammates had been glorious in entrance of him.
Woll ought to get the prospect to do it once more, in Recreation 5. No goalie controversy must be manufactured in Toronto previous to Friday. Woll needs to be in internet.
Keefe mentioned after Recreation 3, when Woll got here in chilly, that the younger goalie was “prepared” for the chance. The coach was proper.
THEY SAID IT
“It was superior for me to see how arduous we performed. Guys placing it on the road was fairly superior. We had been challenged to depart all of it on the market and I believe we did that.”
— Woll
“In these moments, guys must play and present what they create to the desk. I believe that as a crew we did a very good job of that. It’s not going to get simpler. We all know we’re up towards an incredible crew. We simply must hold digging in.”
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— Nylander
“Higher execution, particulars had been sharper and that places us on the fitting facet of it. The video games have been tight-checking. (Woll) is so composed, simply dialled in. You may see the main focus. He isn’t fazed. Got here in and did a hell of a job for us.”
— Tavares
“We misplaced a sport. That occurs within the playoffs. We get to play the subsequent one. It wasn’t so fabulous a win that they’re not going to allow us to play the subsequent one.”
— Panthers coach Paul Maurice
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