The Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. They now have a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series.
Sam Reinhart scored the game-winning goal just 3:02 into overtime, powering the Ice Panthers to victory. The Panthers are now about to appear in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1996.
Give it to Florida. They stunned the Boston Bruins in the first round, and now they’re on the verge of beating the Maple Leafs.
Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaje also scored for the Panthers, while Sam Lafferty and Eric Gustafsson scored for the Maple Leafs. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for Florida, while Joseph Wall replaced the injured Ilya Samsonov against Toronto. Wall played well, but lost.
The Panthers now have maple leaves on their ropes. Only four teams in NHL history have overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Obviously, the Maple Leafs must win Game 4 to avoid being swept. However, the way they play does not look good for the team from Canada.
First conclusion: there is still a chance – small, but it is there
As stated, historically only four teams in NHL history have overcome a 3-0 series deficit to win. The odds of a team coming back in this situation are low. However, everything that happened during the regular season indicates that the Maple Leafs are better than what their fans have seen in this series.
Is there any chance of a dramatic comeback? Maybe winning one game can change the momentum and change the look of the series. And although the chances are slim, they are there. We’ll see if there are any lives left in the Maple Leafs.
Until a team is officially eliminated, there’s always a chance to turn things around. Such a return will be truly unforgettable. While, I’m not very optimistic that the team can win Game 4, who knows? They just didn’t play well enough.
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Second takeaway: The big guns were shooting blanks
The Maple Leafs stars did not appear in the game. Where were Austin Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares? They simply struggled to produce offensively in this playoff series; And the results (or lack thereof) are obvious.
Instead, after three games, the scorers were Sam Lafferty, Erik Gustafsson, Alex Kerfoot, Ryan O’Reilly, Matthew Kniss and Michael Ponting. If I had suggested these depth players would have all scored at the end of Game 3, before the series I would have expected the Maple Leafs to be up to game three.
This Maple Leafs team is built to be carried by the team’s best players. Their main job is to provide the scoring and lead the team to victory. The Core Four of the Maple Leafs were expected to lead the charge and raise their level of performance as the postseason progressed. However, as a group they are in a collective slump. None of them found the scoring touch.
If there is any chance of a return, everyone knows where that return must originate from.
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Third takeaway: Ilya Samsonov was injured and did not return
Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov sustained an undisclosed injury during the second half of Sunday’s game. The injury occurred when Luke Chien of the Toronto Maple Leafs tripped Brett Connolly and, in the process, collided with Samsonov. After being on the ice for some time, Samsonov left and did not return for the rest of the match.
At the moment, there is no official update on the nature or severity of Samsonov’s injury. If Samsonov can’t get Game 4 to start, it looks like Joseph Walls has that job. Matt Murray will likely serve as the backup goaltender for the Maple Leafs.
Related: Here’s Why the Panthers Shot Ilya Samsonov in the Head?