Another day, another playoff game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. This one was a bit different through the first 30 minutes of the contest, with tight-checking, lockdown hockey. However, as soon as the Maple Leafs could find the back of the net, the game opened up.
The Bruins tied it up on a very questionable sequence that could have had three penalties called, but none were.
The Maple Leafs’ top line has been good this series, and they were able to tie up the game. Unfortunately, Boston scored less than 20 seconds after Tyler Bertuzzi’s tying goal, and that stood as the game-winner before they scored on the empty net to take Game 3 and a 2-1 series lead.
Matthews Stepping Up
Heading into the playoffs, many noted that the Maple Leafs’ stars haven’t shown up in the postseason. Well, that debate may be over after this year. Auston Matthews has shown up and been one of, if not the best, players on the ice throughout the series. Through three games, he has one goal and two assists, 16 shots on goal, and 17 hits. He has also been good in the face-off circle, with a 54.5% success rate while averaging 22:31 a game. Some could argue that this stat line isn’t the best in the series, which it could be, but on every shift, he has been dominant.
With Max Domi and Bertuzzi, this line has been exactly what the Maple Leafs needed and could be the main reason they beat the Bruins in this series. If Matthews can continue to dominate his shifts, and the team can reduce their penalties, they could take hold of this series. It’s been a relatively tight matchup; these teams are closely matched. Now that the Maple Leafs are down 2-1, the Bruins will try to make quick work of the Maple Leafs, which is where the top line, and specifically Matthews, must put the team on his back and try and take over the series.
Maple Leafs Need Marner
Meanwhile, Mitch Marner has struggled in this series and has been hearing it from just about everywhere. The Toronto Sun’s headline going into yesterday’s game was “Invisible Man,” with an airbrushed portrait of Marner. As much as I recognize he has struggled, it is ridiculous to publish this after Game 2. Also, Marner was the main reason the Maple Leafs scored their first goal. He held the puck for the right amount of time and found Matthew Knies at the side of the net to tap it home.
The Maple Leafs need Marner; that is clear. He needs to find his game, but remember that he is coming off an injury that forced him to miss nearly two months. There were about two weeks of the regular season left when he returned and was put on a line with John Tavares and Bobby McMann. Now he is playing alongside Tavares and Knies, and this line doesn’t have a “play-driver.” Marner can generate plays, but they don’t have a Matthews-type player on that line. This is why William Nylander, when he returns to the lineup, should play alongside Marner, and then we should see different results.
The Maple Leafs need to stay focused and not worry about the Bruins’ antics, like the commotion between Brad Marchand and Bertuzzi. They were too caught up in the missed call, and rightfully so, but it allowed Trent Frederic to walk in and score. They will need to make this adjustment and stay focused to avoid going down 3-1 in the series.
This series gets an extra day off ahead of Game 4 in Toronto. Game 4 is on Saturday, April 27, at 8:00 p.m., and this could be the biggest game of the Maple Leafs season.
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