There is a reason to be optimistic that the Leafs will beat the Panthers in Round 2
The Leafs are down 2-0 to the Florida Panthers in Round 2 and if you ask around Leafs Nation, I'm sure you'll hear about how the sky is falling. Well, following their Game 2 loss, Leafs locker room leader Ryan O'Reilly expressed his lack of concern over the hole the team has dug themselves, openly declaring that he believes the Leafs will win the series. There's actually a very valid reason behind why we should believe that.
According to The Athletic's James Mirtle, the Leafs have accumulated an astounding 36 high-danger scoring chances on on Sergei Bobrovsky to Florida's 19 against Ilya Samsonov. Yes, you read that correctly - the Leafs are nearly DOUBLING the Panthers in high-danger chances.
I understand the reason for concern. A 2-0 hole is not one any team would prefer to be in after 2 home games, heading into enemy territory. However, with how well the Leafs have played on the road in these playoffs, should we really be all that concerned? Several of the Leafs' players and their coach have already commented on the fact that they've felt very comfortable on the road in these playoffs - and that was against a Tampa Bay Lightning team who was near the top of the league in home record this season.
Yes, the Panthers are a good hockey team. Yes, they knocked off the Bruins, but this Leafs team is built different and has just knocked off a team who has gone to 3-straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning two Cups along the way. I refuse to believe that the Leafs, who are clearly dominating play and tilting the ice in their favour, are going to just go belly-up and lose in 4 straight to the Panthers, who lost in Round 2 last year, despite being heavy favourites to win.
There's still plenty of time for the Leafs to get this series back on the right track and it all starts on Sunday by rolling into Florida and taking one back from the Panthers at BB&T Arena. From there, they just need to take it one game at a time and continue to rack up these high-danger scoring chances. Bobrovsky will turn back into a pumpkin eventually.
