Leafs forward expresses his confidence in the team despite the 2-0 series deficit they find themselves in
Well, after that series against Tampa, with the Leafs winning in 6 games, show of hands - how many of you thought that we'd be down 2-0 in the 2nd round 2 Florida after 2 home games? Nobody? Yeah, me either.
The Leafs have quite obviously outplayed the Florida Panthers through 2 games, but unfortunately, outplaying your opponent is not enough. You have to outscore them, and the Leafs just can't seem to solve Sergei Bobrovsky, who is out there flailing around like prime Dominik Hasek.
After taking an early 2-0 lead last night in Game 2, the Leafs allowed a shot from Anton Lundell to draw the Cats to within one and then simply didn't show up at all for the first 5 minutes of the second period, allowing the Panthers to take a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish.
Following the game, the temperature in Toronto is raising rapidly, down 2-0 to the very team who knocked off the Presidents Trophy winning Boston Bruins in 7 games. The Panthers have now won 5 straight postseason games and 6 of 9. However, if you ask Leafs forward Ryan O'Reilly, he's not concerned at all about the Leafs digging themselves into an 0-2 hole.
"It's a long series. There's a lot of hockey left and we have to keep building our game, get better as we go. I'm not worried." - O'Reilly on being down 2 games to the Panthers, heading to Florida for Games 3 and 4
O'Reilly knows what the Leafs are capable of after they took out the Lightning in 6. The Lightning had been to 3 straight Stanley Cup Finals, and the Leafs stole 3 games from them in OT in enemy territory. O'Reilly has also been to the deep waters himself, having won a Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy back in 2019. If he's saying he's not worried, then perhaps he'll help bring a calming presence to the Leafs' locker room to help settle some of these younger guys down, help them re-gain their composure and put them back on the right track for these next 2 road games.
It's not over yet, folks. Not by a long shot. The Leafs have been dominating the Panthers. Once they solve the Sergei Bobrovsky conundrum, or once Bobrovsky's streak of unbelievable luck runs out, this one could be just another small speed bump on what will hopefully be a long Leafs playoff run.
| POLL | ||
MAI 5 | 415 ANSWERS Leafs forward expresses his confidence in the team despite the 2-0 series deficit they find themselves in Are the Leafs going to win Games 3 and 4 in Florida? | ||
| Yes | 304 | 73.3 % |
| No, neither - it's over | 54 | 13 % |
| Game 3 only | 52 | 12.5 % |
| Game 4 only | 5 | 1.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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