“We have to put our balls on the table. “
Those words uttered by Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews shortly after his team suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss on Thursday in Tampa are still echoing around the team the day after. that retreat and on the eve of what will be the fifth final game in many years in the first round of the playoffs for the Torontonians.
That’s the perfect way to describe a Game 7said Sheldon Keefe, head coach of the Maple Leafs, when reminded of his star player’s statements on Friday.
It will require constant effort. Clearly we have no reason to save energy. We have to give everything we have in this game.
Despite the missed opportunity to eliminate Lightning in Game 6 of the series, the Maple Leafs believe in their chance to win their first series since 2004 on Saturday.
We believe in our group and they believe in them. I don’t think much has separated our two teams throughout this series, so I think it’s good that it ends with Game 7added Sheldon Keefe.
As for our group, I think we are in the right frame of mind. We are excited to go home and play in front of our fans.
Maple Leafs players have been saying this over and over since the beginning of this series: their team is different from the one that dropped to a 3-1 advantage against the Montreal Canadiens last year and, therefore, from previous edition in which they lost in the first round. They reject any notion of the past.
We need to believe in ourselves. We have had enoughsaid defenseman Mark Giordano, a 16-year NHL veteran who pulled out of the Seattle Kraken at the trade deadline.
When we play and we stay true to our style of play, we can beat anyone, so we have to believe we can do it. And I think, that’s what he meant (Auston). Obviously, it’s hard to beat in overtime. You’re a little down, then you woke up today and it’s a new day.
First launched by Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the Maple Leafs can also tell themselves that all of their big guns work at full speed for a few games. John Tavares and William Nylander have experienced the long-awaited awakening to the attack in recent days. They have scored five and seven points respectively in the last three games.
Our team and this season are unique and different. We believe in our way. And when we see our best players shining in critical moments and helping us get up and our team is performing well together, all of these things give us great confidence for the final game. ito.said Keefe.
Returning to Game 5 was very important for our team and it helped us in Game 6. I think these two presentations combined will also help us to deal with whatever may come in Game 7.he pointed out.
Ultimately, what can vary is the level of execution and readiness to play from start to finishsummarized defender Justin Holl.
Game 7 between Maple Leafs and Lightning will begin at 7 pm Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.
Source: Radio-Canada
