Jason Spezza touches on the difficulty of sitting out and what he'll try to add in his return to the lineup
Leafs forward Jason Spezza was all smiles at his pre-game media availability on Friday, cracking jokes about the Leafs' unorthodox travel methods yesterday, taking a bus to Buffalo and flying from Buffalo to Tampa to avoid mandatory COVID-19 testing, as has become a common trend among NHL teams since the league's testing protocols have changed.
While Spezza was all smiles on Friday, the same cannot be said for the previous 4 days of the week, as Spezza found himself in an unfamiliar position as a healthy scratched for his team's first two playoff games on Monday and Wednesday.
-Jason Spezza on having to sit in the press box for Games 1 and 2 in Toronto
For a player of Jason Spezza's caliber throughout his career, I'm sure he's used to talking players through those lows of not being in the lineup, but it's a very different thing when it's you yourself in the press box. Sheldon Keefe had stated this past weekend that the conversation with Spezza was a very difficult one for both the team and for the player - though I don't think you'd have any arguments from anyone if you were to assume that the sting was more profound from Spezza's perspective.
Nevertheless, Spezza is a consummate pro and he realizes that it's all just a part of the business. The Leafs have to ice the best roster that they can in order to give themselves the best opportunity to win. Spezza is the definition of a "team first" guy, and while he was disappointed for the majority of the week, it's right back to business for "Vintage" on Friday night.
-Spezza on what he hopes to bring to the Leafs' lineup on Friday for Game 3 in Tampa
Spezza is a guy who gets out of bed for playoff games, make no mistake about it. This time of the year means everything for a guy like Spezza who has one major bucket list item to hopefully check off before he rides off into the sunset. The 38-year-old leaves it all out on the ice during this time of the year.
In 7 playoff games last year against the Habs, Spezza was one of the Leafs' best and most productive players, posting 3 goals and 5 points over that 7-game span. Ultimately, the Leafs just didn't have what it took last year to get the job done - something that Spezza and the rest of the guys who were on last year's team want to try to avoid this year.
Friday's Game 3 is a pivotal one for the Leafs. A win means they'll take back home ice advantage and a loss means that they're heading into Game 4 down a game and potentially facing elimination at home for Game 5. At this point, if the Leafs happen to come up short in Game 3, that will effectively mean that Game 4 is a MUST WIN, since Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn't lost back-to-back games since before Tampa's pair of Cup runs.
| POLL | ||
MAI 6 | 13 ANSWERS Jason Spezza touches on the difficulty of sitting out and what he'll try to add in his return to the lineup Will Jason Spezza be able to steal a roster spot with a strong performance in Tampa? | ||
| Yes | 10 | 76.9 % |
| No, he'll still rotate in and out | 3 | 23.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
