The Toronto Maple Leafs did what they needed to do in Game 4.
Down 3-0 in their best-of-7 series with the Florida Panthers, the Leafs played a solid, structured style of hockey to eke out a 2-1 win on the road.
It’s not the type of game we’re used to seeing Toronto play, but it was clear that the Leafs had a gameplan to do everything they could to slow Florida’s forecheck and combat the pressure the Cats apply in the offensive zone.
The strategy paid off and allowed the Leafs to extend their season, but it’s fair to question whether or not they’ll be able to replicate that effort three more times.
So will we see Toronto open things up and play with a little more risk in Game 5?
Or is this going to be another nail-biter of an elimination game?
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs pick
(7 p.m. ET)
There is a lot of logic to why Toronto decided to commit itself to the structured, defensive style of hockey we saw on Wednesday night.
Not only did they have their backs against the wall, but they had a rookie, Joseph Woll, in goal.
Woll has been terrific in a limited sample this season, but this was the first time he’d ever started a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Leafs did a great job getting in front of pucks and keeping Florida to the outside all night, which allowed Woll a relatively easy night of work in a 2-1 win.
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Toronto isn’t a bad defensive team — in fact, the Leafs had terrific numbers during large stretches of the regular season — but they’ve shown some cracks in the playoffs.
Toronto’s defensemen are on the slow side and generally aren’t great puck-movers outside of Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren, so this unit can be exposed by a speedy team that gets to work on the forecheck. Florida ticks both of those boxes.
The way to combat that is to slow a team like the Panthers down is to jam up the neutral zone and the middle of the ice, which requires some patience and fortitude.
Blocking shots and sticking on your man is hard work, but the Leafs committed to it on Wednesday night.
Whether or not they can maintain that level of discipline for three more games remains to be seen.
Toronto’s best work usually comes when it can hold onto the puck and play with a little more risk, trusting its playmakers to be the difference if things open up, so it’s a bit of a gamble to bet on yourself to win three more tightly played games where you leave yourself very little margin for error.
Betting on the NHL?
It seems like Toronto’s effort in Game 4 has everybody expecting this to be another rigid contest, but we know the type of firepower these teams possess and that both defenses have flaws.
Plus, with the Leafs playing at home and getting the benefit of the last change, I’d suspect there’s a chance this game turns into a see-saw battle with plenty of chances at either end.
I’d lean towards the over 6.5, but would also look to play some derivatives like both teams to score in the first period or to back some players (William Nylander, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour and Morgan Rielly stick out as good value) in the anytime goal-scorer markets.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs prediction
Both teams to score in the first period (+133, Caesars Sportsbook)
