While many already had the Toronto Maple Leafs dead and buried before the puck even dropped on Game 5, Sheldon Keefe’s men made Brad Marchand eat his words. When the Boston Bruins’ captain scored the insurance goal in Game 3, he couldn’t help but poke the bear saying it would be over in five while skating by Toronto’s bench. Last night, Boston had a chance to realize their captain’s prophecy, but they failed to do so because the Maple Leafs believed they could win.
No Matthews? No Problem! Domi Took Over
The Maple Leafs’ best player, Auston Matthews, had to take a rain check for Game 5. He did skate for about five minutes in the morning, but in the end, he just couldn’t play as he’s reportedly dealing with an illness. If some thought this would be a crushing blow for the Maple Leafs, Max Domi didn’t agree. Where some saw an unsurpassable problem, Domi saw an opportunity.
Tasked with pivoting the first line in between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, the second-generation Maple Leaf shone brightly last night. In the first frame, Domi won his 10 faceoffs and by the end of the night, he had an 85.7% success rate. Before Game 5, he had a 48.5% career winning percentage. Last night’s number was spectacular for him, but it’s not all that surprising. Players like Domi get energy from big games such as this one.
Related: Max Domi Can Be Maple Leafs’ Difference-Maker vs. Bruins
While most of the Maple Leafs’ top-six players are skill and talent guys, Domi’s got plenty of grit in his game. Unfortunately for him, at times, it makes him lose his temper, but last night, he was in full control. He got in the Bruins’ faces, but he never crossed the line and stayed out of the box all night.
My one negative comment about his performance was that he could have taken more shots. When he got a 2-on-1 with Bertuzzi, it was obvious he wasn’t going to shoot as he was looking at Bertuzzi the whole time while skating forward. He made Jeremy Swayman’s job much easier in that play.
No Samsonov? No Problem! Woll Took Over
Ilya Samsonov got the lion’s share of the work this season in Toronto, he was in the net for 40 games while Joseph Woll only manned the net for 25 games. Come playoff time, it was hardly surprising that Keefe decided to go with the veteran. After four games and facing elimination, the Maple Leafs needed a wake-up call, and they got it when the 25-year-old was given the net for this must-win duel.
While Samsonov had started the first four games of the series, Woll got a taste of the action when he was asked to replace the starter with over 17 minutes left to go in Game 4. The fact he allowed no goals must have been a good building block for his confidence and he looked dialed in last night.
Woll was able to keep his focus even though he only received two shots from the Bruins in the first frame. Allowing a goal in the first 20 minutes when he had received so few shots could have messed with his confidence, but it didn’t. If anything, the 2016 third-round pick looked more comfortable as the game went on. In the end, he was tested 28 times and was able to hold down the fort when the Bruins had the upper hand at the start of the overtime period. Without his performance, Matthew Knies never would have had the opportunity to score the game-winning goal. Something tells me we’ll see Woll again in Game 6.
No Home Ice? No Problem
I’m not sure what it is about Scotiabank Arena but I’ve rarely seen a home team get so little support from their fans. When the Maple Leafs are playing well, the building isn’t rocking, at times, you could almost hear a fly buzzing in there, but when they are struggling? Wow, that building becomes loud.
It takes a lot for the Toronto crowd to fully get behind their team. Maybe it’s the fact they’ve been waiting for a Stanley Cup for so long, that they don’t want to allow themselves to dream anymore. After all, one series win in eight years is hardly enough to win over the fans, especially when you’ve got a star-studded line-up, even if misconstrued.
This phenomenon is even more puzzling when you look at social media where the Maple Leafs often seem to be the team with the most support. Maybe, just maybe the fact that they went fearlessly to TD Garden on the brink of elimination without Matthews and lived to fight another day will be enough to get the crowd to cheer from the get-go on Thursday night when the series will be back in Scotiabank Arena. Or perhaps, Brendan Shanahan will call Ted Lasso to come give a motivational speech to make sure the players still believe…