Game Story: There is now plenty of questions for the @MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership) (hashtag#LeafsForever) after the injury to Stolarz. But the most important part was securing the win against the Florida Panthers (hashtag#TimeToHunt) and that’s what they did. Coverage here.
https://lnkd.in/ebC8J6iw
National Hockey League (NHL) hashtag#stanleycup hashtag#playoffs Sportsnet
Toronto Maple Leafs (52-26-4, 4-2) HC: Craig Berube Top Performers: Mitchell Marner (27-75-102 +18), William Nylander (45-39-84 +10), Auston Matthews 67 GP, (33-45-78 +11), John Tavares 75 GP, (38-36-74 +10) Matthew Knies (29-29-58 +7), Morgan Rielly (7-34-41 –8), Bobby McMann (20-14-34 +12), Max Domi (8-25-33 +5)
Watch? If Nicholas Robertson or Max Pacioretty play postseason minutes, as they can be extra offense.
Top Defensive Pairings: Christopher Tanev (3-15-18 +31), Jake McCabe (2-21-23 +23), Simon Benoit (1-9-10+12), O-E-L.
Initial Thoughts: Toronto topped the “Battle of Ontario” and leveled out the Ottawa Senators (4-2). This will be their toughest test until the Stanley Cup Finals, should they get there. If the Maple Leafs can solve the Panthers forecheck and move the puck quickly, I like the chance for a longer series. But can Stolarz (former goalie of FLA) play well against his former team? I think Woll could play in this series.
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Florida Panthers: (47-31-4, 4-1) HC: Paul Maurice Top Performers: Sam Reinhart (39-42-81 +6), Aleksander Barkov 67 GP (20-51-71), Matthew Tkachuk 52 GP (22-35-57 –3), Carter Verhaeghe (20-33-53 –14), Sam Bennett (25-26-51 -15, Anton Lundell (17-28-45 +17)
Top Defensive Pairings: Aaron Ekblad 56 GP (3-30-33 +11), Gustav Forsling (11-20-31 +33), Niko Mikkola (6-16-22 +12), Nate Schmidt (5-14-19 +4)
Initial Thoughts: With both my Stanley Cup Finals pick now out, I see the survivors advancing. That’s a FLA-DAL final. Too deep and relentless. Take all of the regular season stats and toss them. Add in Seth Jones, Brad Marchand (who knows TOR well) with that core group and I see no weakness. But my outward thought… if Bobrovsky struggles, does FLA even have a backup they can count on?
Goaltending Matchup: Anthony Stolarz (34 GP, 21-8-3, 2.14 GAA, .926 SV, 4 SO); Joseph Woll (42 GP, 27-14-1, 2.73 GAA, .909 SV, 1 SO) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (54 GP, 33-19-2, 2.44 GAA, .906 SV, 5 SO)
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