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The Toronto Maple Leafs had their backs against the wall, facing the possibility of their management, coaching staff, and roster being broken apart, and played with the expected level of desperation, avoiding elimination and being swept with a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 4 in Sunrise, FL on Wednesday.
After being shut out in the first three games of the series, the core group registered both Toronto goals in the contest, as William Nylander scored on the power play and Mitch Marner tallied the game-winner from long range in the third period, but there was definitely more energy and attention to detail…especially in the defensive zone being displayed by the Leafs with their backs against the wall.
“From an effort standpoint, I think it was our best effort of the season all the way through from start to finish.… Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. There was no real letup. Obviously, it is a very close game, but our competitiveness defensively and our urgency defensively was the best it has been all year. It was an unbelievable job by our guys tonight.…
Joseph Woll was calm and dependable in his first Stanley Cup Playoff start, making 24 stops for the victory.
“Our team in front of (Woll) gave him every opportunity for success today with how they competed in front of him with the number of blocked shots we had today and keeping the puck away. But on anything that did get through, he looked really confident and in control.… Keefe said. “It is well above what we had anticipated in terms of the timeline, especially for a guy who missed training camp, lots of his offseason didn’t get to train, didn’t get to play his position, was behind the eight ball with us, and was behind the eight ball with the Marlies. For him to play the way that he has and the way that he did in the last regular season game against Tampa, and to play the way that he has when he has come through the net here in the playoffs, is why we had no question that he would be able to go today.…
The Leafs went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the game, and the insertion of Timothy Liljegren helped significantly, as the young blueliner played over 16 minutes and kept the puck in the offensive zone that led to Marner’s game-winner. Veteran Luke Schenn also played well, partnering with Morgan Rielly and making a great play late in the third poking the puck away from Carter Verhaeghe.
Schenn swats the puck away pic.twitter.com/OdWCh5zvg7
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 11, 2023
Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated on Thursday that goalie Ilya Samsonov is still unavailable and that Woll will get the start in Game 5 in Toronto on Friday. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that rookie Matthew Knies is feeling better after being concussed by Florida’s Sam Bennett in Game 2, but after the Leafs victory, it is possible that the club will keep the same lineup.