A pivotal Game 5 will take place tonight in Toronto, where you can no doubt bet the crowd will be hot!
A week ago, I had thought this series was all but done. The Leafs were on a roll and the Cats were…well…let’s just say they didn’t look good. In fact, they looked terrible.
Then something shifted. After the Game 3 OT win, Florida seems to have gained (found?) their confidence again. The Cats looked much better in Game 4 — especially Bob, who made a number of top tier saves to earn the goose egg on the scoreboard.
The Panthers will need the confidence playing in the lion’s den that is Scotiabank Arena tonight. That, and another stellar performance from Bob.
Can they do it?
I think believe they can. However, there’s a “but” for n they belief.
Yes, Florida proved they can beat Toronto. BUT they need two things:
1. Bob to Play Huge: This Leafs offense is no joke. It’s scary anytime they control the puck, and especially when they go on the PP. The Cats can do their best to minimize quality chance but Toronto finds/makes them anyway. It’s Bob in the blue paint who has to be the difference maker.
2. Fix PP Woes: The PP unit was atrocious in Game 4. They went 1/6. Can’t do that again. No way. Not only that, but majority of those opportunities presented zero pressure on Toronto’s PK unit. The man advantage is precious this time of year and the Panthers need to fix their playbook to take advantage of the opportunities.
MY THOUGHTS
I think we see Toronto’s biggest game tonight. Back home and feeding off the energy, Florida will have a storm to weather.
The Panthers will have to be near-perfect in their defensive game. They can’t afford to be out of position like they have in several spots of this series.
Gotta take the crowd out of it early!
While it’s a bold prediction, I almost feel like the series will be decided tonight:
Leafs win tonight with overwhelming offense and another solid performance from Woll (who played great in Game 4 despite the loss) and go on to win the series.
OR
Panthers take a gritty win on the road, breaking the Toronto player’s/fan’s backs as the prophecy of another postseason choke (which looms over this franchise) is fulfilled once again.
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I cannot wait for this game!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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