The Toronto Maple Leafs came into Game 4 looking to do something they haven’t done in nearly 25 years: sweep a series. They were up 3-0 and had full control over the series, it was there for the taking. Unfortunately, the Ottawa Senators played spoiler and won the game on a long point shot from Jake Sanderson to send this series back to Toronto for Game 5.
In Game 4, the Maple Leafs started out slow and fell behind 2-0 by halfway through the first period but battled back to get within 2-1 by the time the first came to an end. The second period started with Toronto in full control, yes, Ottawa had zone time but didn’t generate shots off that zone time. At the halfway mark of the second, Matthew Knies was able to chip the puck out of the zone and beat the Senators’ defensemen to the puck and beat Linus Ullmark on a breakaway to tie the game at 2-2.
In the third period, the Senators were able to strike first to give them a 3-2 lead, however, the Maple Leafs didn’t go away. They fought back and Oliver Ekman-Larsson was able to beat Ullmark on a cross-ice feed from William Nylander to tie the game again at 3-3 and sent the game to OT. As mentioned before, in the extra frame, Sanderson kept the puck in the zone and sent the puck to the net which beat Anthony Stolarz and won the game for the Senators, 4-3.
The Maple Leafs will now travel back home to try and win the series at home, until then let’s go over a few takeaways from the game last night.
Tavares has Injury Scare
It is every kid’s dream to grow up and play for their boyhood team in the sport they love. For John Tavares, that dream is playing for the Maple Leafs and scoring big-time goals. He’s done it once before when he scored the game-winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning to send the Maple Leafs to the second round. Last night, he could have had another chance to send his team through again, but unfortunately, he was laying on the ice in pain when the puck bounced out to where he would have been.
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The reason why he was on the ice in pain was because he took an Artem Zub shoulder to the face that left him dazed and confused. There was no call on the play and there may not be any supplementary discipline for it, but it definitely drew the ire of Maple Leafs fans who saw it and saw him in pain. If that didn’t happen and that exact play unfolded the same way, it looked like Tavares could have played hero once again. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and he instead found himself in the dressing room in concussion protocol. He was able to return to the game and get back to his regular shift, but for a time in OT, it looked like Toronto might be without him for the foreseeable future.
Knies is Going to Get Paid
After this season, there is no longer a “core four” in Toronto. Knies needs to be part of that conversation alongside Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Nylander and Tavares. He has shown up time and time again for this team in big moments and that showed tonight when he scored a must-needed goal to tie the game at 2-2. After the season he has had he was already going to get a big pay-day, but after his performance in the playoffs thus far, he likely added another $1-$1.5 million on his next deal.
Knies is a restricted free agent this summer and will 100% get a contract offer from the Maple Leafs. It may need to wait until Marner has made his decision, but the hope is that Knies will be signed before free agency starts so it limits the chance of an offer sheet. With how well he is playing this season, he could be in the neighborhood of $6.5-$7.5 million for six-eight years.
Maple Leafs Need to Reset
The Maple Leafs had a real chance to close out the series tonight and it slipped away. But it wasn’t for a lack of effort or killer instinct. They pushed back in Game 4 and fought back from two different deficits in last night’s game. They had a ton of chances in overtime, including a post that Matthews hit that could have ended the game. It was clear in this game that Toronto is different this season and has proven it in this series. If one of those bounced out front went their way, fans would be filling the streets all last night with chants of “we want Florida.” However, that didn’t happen, so they will need to reset and close out this series on Tuesday night at home.
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That starts with starting on time and getting out to a lead. Last night, they let Ottawa get a lead and had to play catch-up for a portion of the game. In Game 5, they need to get out to an early lead and build off that, which better compliments their game. They will be able to defend that lead and allow them to play their game to win the series. With the series heading back to Toronto, they will get an extra day to rest and that will help the Maple Leafs reset and come back focused on winning the game and putting a bow on this series.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs will take their 3-1 lead in the series into Game 5 back at home in Toronto, where they’ll have their second chance to close things out. They can’t give the Senators any more life, they need to get it over with and then they can take the extra time off to rest and recover before the second round starts.
