#CSP #NHL #LEAFSNATION
In the biggest game of the regular season (so far), the Maple Leafs enter this four-point matchup against the Panthers with a two-point lead in the Atlantic Division race
There is one more matchup between these two teams to come, but being four points ahead with seven games to go is a major difference compared to being tied on points with seven to play. To accomplish that four-point cushion, the Leafs will need to beat the Panthers in regulation, something they’ve done just once in the last six meetings. With the Panthers at the end of a three-in-four (second half of a back-to-back) and without some key pieces due to injury/suspension, this is a golden opportunity for the fully-healthy and rested Leafs, one they really need to take advantage of.
The Leafs will be looking for a few areas of improvement over their tight-checking 3-2 loss to Florida in Toronto in mid-March. They’ll need a much better effort on special teams, where the PK conceded twice while the PP went 0-for-3. The Leafs‘ PK will need to be cleaner/stiffer at their net front as Sam Bennett beat them twice on in-tight plays to the net; Jake McCabe got beat at the back post for one of them, and Simon Benoit was guarding a ghost at the back post instead of the main in front on a pass to the top of the crease from below the goal line. There was also a bad blown clearance opportunity by Scott Laughton just prior to the second Florida power-play goal.
It was a reasonably solid effort at five-on-five as the Leafs edged the Panthers on scoring chances and high-danger chances and tied in shots on goal at five-on-five. However, in the top matchup, the Leafs’ top line put just three shots on goal at five-on-five over their ~10 minutes against Barkov (vs. five against) while playing primarily with Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev pairing. The big guns will need to create more than the .11 xGF they generated inside that matchup. A reason for optimism at five-on-five is that the Leafs, at the time, did not have their second line of McMann-Tavares-Nylander rolling as it is currently, but the Panthers also now have Brad Marchand in the lineup on their second line with Bennett.
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