During their daily press briefings, we feel that the players of the Maple Leafs exude confidence, unlike those of the Canadiens, the fruit of a few unashamed victories.
We also feel that they show restraint in their words and in their demonstrations. They don’t come forward. They do not swell their heads after a good result.
Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly have all tasted heartbreaking playoff failures since arriving. In 2018 and 2019, the Boston Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games. Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets ousted them from the spring tournament in the final game of a best-of-five series.
We must not sell the skin of the bear before having killed it, they say. The lesson was learned in Toronto.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe, however, does not believe that the players of the current squad are responsible for the 17 years of famine. After all, they are not responsible for the failures of the early 2000s.
This group, for me, has its own identity and is not attached to anything that has happened in the past. It is important to remember this within our walls. These players don’t have that responsibility, but as an organization of course we have to deliver the goods for our fans and we had a great chance to do that here.
, he said on the eve of Game 5 of the series between the Leafs and the Canadiens.
The reason it’s been so many years is because closing a series is a very difficult thing to do and we have a lot of respect for our opponent. We know that tomorrow night’s game will be the toughest of this series.
A united and more mature team
Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton each scored one goal on Tuesday.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Paul Chiasson
—
Past experiences alone are not enough to explain the calm and seeming impassiveness of the Maple Leafs players in this series, according to the coach. Sheldon Keefe notes a sense of unity and camaraderie that is much more present than in the past within his locker room.
We have a real team
, he points out. For this, he praises the merits of veterans who have joined his training, such as Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton.
The players have fun. They like to spend time together. What was a big priority for us as the season approached was to create that environment. So we thought about it by making additions to the team and it materialized the way we hoped. I think that has been the real foundation for us throughout the regular season and up to this point and what got us here.
Meanwhile, captain John Tavares, who suffered a blow to the head and a knee injury in Game 1 and will miss the rest of the series, continues to be involved with the squad. He sends notes by text message to players before games and he talks to his teammates by video conference in the locker room after the wins, according to William Nylander revealed.
Prey affected, but not helpless
The Canadiens’ players have scored just four goals in as many games.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Ryan Remiorz
—
The Maple Leafs are therefore in a good position to close the books on Thursday. Carey Price is phenomenal in front of the Canadiens’ cage, but his teammates offer him no support. Montreal has only scored four goals since the start of the series, as many as William Nylander alone.
On the Toronto side, the attack is diverse. Jason Spezza and Alex Galchenyuk have as many points as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Alex Kerfoot outdoes himself alongside Nylander on the second line, replacing John Tavares and Nick Foligno. In fact, among the main Leafs players who have played at least three games in the series, only Zach Hyman is late in entering the score.
The numerical advantage of the CH is also anemic. The Habs do not score a single goal despite 6:29 to the advantage of a man on average each game, the fourth highest total for a team since the start of the playoffs. Some of the blame, however, goes to Marner, Kerfoot and Hyman who do a tremendous job for the shorthanded Maple Leafs.
The consistency of the Habs players is also in question. The effort differs depending on the period. The Canadian is sometimes good, sometimes completely absent from the game. Josh Anderson had promised a hungrier team
in the fourth game, but nothing has changed. Head coach Dominique Ducharme underlined it again on Wednesday.
Toronto must capitalize on these lingering difficulties of the representatives of the Sainte-Flanelle to end the series before they finally find their way to go. A sixth game in Montreal in front of 2,500 spectators does not bode well for Toronto and the team’s history tied to the ultimate games does not inspire confidence either.
–
