SUNRISE, Fla. — You’ve heard it before, seemingly countless times, but it’s still as true as ever: This is the most important game in the history of this Maple Leafs core.
The Leafs were humbled in Game 5 to the point that there are already serious doubts about the fate of this season — and about the future of the core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
Advertisement
Still, Game 6 represents a chance: Come out with a spirited and productive win and the Leafs could remind a skeptical hockey world of their strengths. A win would get them to Game 7, where the storyline would be about yet another biggest game of an era.
For the time being, Game 6 is this core’s best opportunity to prove they have the moxie to win games when things look ugly. It’s the kind of win that has largely eluded them for years. It feels more than ever that pride is at stake.
Coach Craig Berube said he thought the Leafs were guilty of overthinking at the beginning of Game 5.
According to Simon Benoit, that shouldn’t be a problem tonight.
“I don’t think there’s much to overthink,” the Leafs defenceman said Friday. “It’s do or die for us tonight. There is not much to overthink. If we lose, we’re out. If we win, we continue. That’s how you see it. We gotta give everything we have tonight and we gotta come up with the win.”
The likely lines
Knies — Matthews — Marner
Holmberg — Tavares — Nylander
McMann — Domi — Pacioretty
Lorentz — Laughton — Järnkrok
McCabe — Tanev
Rielly — Carlo
Benoit — Ekman-Larsson
Woll
Murray
Berube has made some tweaks to his lineup for Game 6, but nothing major. He is sticking with Matthews and Marner together on the top line, betting that they will bounce back from their porous performance together in Game 5.
A tweak on the second line sees Pontus Holmberg join Tavares and Nylander in place of Max Pacioretty. That’s a matchup-based change, with that line likely to square off against Florida’s No. 1 line tonight. The Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander trio struggled in that matchup in Games 3 and 4. Holmberg brings a lot more foot speed than Pacioretty can deliver at this point.
Berube evidently didn’t see enough from Nick Robertson and David Kämpf in Game 5 to keep them in the lineup for another game. Both are out for Holmberg and Calle Järnkrok, with Järnkrok rejoining Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton on the line that figures to see a whole whack of defensive-zone face-offs. —Siegel
Advertisement
The big questions
Can the Leafs rise to the occasion?
After the Leafs’ embarrassing performance in Game 5, coupled with the fact the Panthers are at home, it’s easy to conclude this series is over. But it’s not.
Winning Games 6 and 7 to take a series is not an impossible feat. The Leafs core knows that too well: they had a 3-2 first round series lead against the Boston Bruins in 2019 before losing Games 6 and 7.
So it becomes a mental hurdle. Can the team avoid letting self-doubt creep in, treat Game 6 like it’s just one game to win and not let the moment overwhelm them? They’ve largely been written off. At this point, a full 60 minutes of relentless competitiveness would go a long way to winning back a beleaguered fanbase. That fanbase is clamouring for performances built on will as much as of skill.
The Leafs have to prove, when it matters, that they have just as much of the former as the latter. —Kloke
Will Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner bounce back?
It’s not often that Matthews and Marner get steamrolled like they did in Game 5 — not just in a lack of providing any offence, but by defensive play and puck possession metrics, as well.
Game 5 was completely one-sided in the wrong direction when they were on the ice.
All eyes will be on the pair tonight. Are they more forceful in their attack? Do they carry the puck with confidence, make plays, and put the Panthers on their heels? Does Matthews find the back of the net for the first time in this series and the first time in the playoffs, period, against the Panthers? Does Marner help him do it? These are two of the Leafs’ three best players. The time is now for them to show it. —Siegel
Can Joseph Woll recreate his Game 4 performance?
To be sure: the Leafs’ Game 5 loss and any potential Game 6 bounce-back falls on the shoulders of the entire team, not one player. But for the Leafs to have a chance on the road against the Panthers, they’ll need the best from one player who has had some of the best performances of his career in Sunrise: their goalie of the future, Joseph Woll.
Advertisement
Remember Game 4 in 2023? Woll kept the Leafs season alive by stopping 24 of 25 shots. And in Game 4 this year, Woll stepped into the limelight with an impressive 35-save effort.
The Leafs will need Woll even more considering that Sergei Bobrovsky has apparently found his playoff form. Woll giving the Leafs a chance to win could alleviate some of the pressure from the Leafs’ core players. Even with the chatter about whether a healthy Anthony Stolarz could have changed the course of the series, Woll having himself another game in Florida would remind onlookers of how his strong mental state can help sway the Leafs’ fortunes. —Siegel
How to watch
The puck drops in Florida at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS, TNT, TruTV and Max.
(Photo of Joseph Woll: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Phillies pay tribute to ‘POOP’ scoreboard before a wild win over Pirates
<!--> The beginning of Major League Baseball's Rivalry Weekend series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates was also an ending of sorts. Before the season, NBC Sports Philadelphia announced it was changing the Phillies' logo on its scorebug from the letter "P" to "PHI."Normally, that would not be a story worthy of headlines. But by doing so, the broadcast deprived fans of a simple pleasure in life: seeing a "P00P" scoreboard whenever the Phillies faced off against the Pirates. On Friday night, the network decided to pay tribute to that "gone but never forgotten" scorebug. "It was more than just a scoreboard. It was a legend," Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy solemnly read. "An unforgettable icon. Its name, once met with chuckles, quickly became synonymous with good times and fierce rivalries. As the final out arrives on its bright and brilliant run, […]
A crise da CBF em atos: entenda a novela de 8 anos que levou ao afastamento de Ednaldo Rodrigues
Ex-zagueiro e capitão da seleção brasileira: Lúcio é internado em Brasília após sofrer queimadurasPodcast Toca e passa: Diego Ribas admite que influenciava companheiros negativamente quando ia para o banco, mas destaca mudança no Flamengo Embora a decisão tenha sido motivada por indícios de fraude num documento, o afastamento de Ednaldo é parte de longa novela de quase oito anos que hoje é difícil de ser vista em toda a sua dimensão. Por isso, para compreender a queda do cartola é preciso voltar no tempo. O começo de tudo Em março de 2017, a CBF, então presidida por Marco Polo Del Nero, alterou suas regras eleitorais numa assembleia da qual só participaram as federações estaduais. A medida levou o Ministério Público do Rio (MPRJ) a entrar com ação para anular as decisões e afastar a cúpula da entidade. Antes que o […]
Só uma vaga na elite: A2 do Cariocão começa hoje com três times da capital, presidentes boleiros e possíveis surpresas
A Rua Bariri será hoje um dos quatro palcos que abrem a Série A2 do Campeonato Carioca. A partir das 15h, Olaria e Bangu se enfrentam na Zona Norte do Rio de Janeiro, em confronto suburbano de dois dos três times da capital fluminense - o America é o outro. Ambos já se encontraram em situação melhor, mas a missão agora é vencer a corrida por uma vaga na elite do Estadual. O America é o outro, e hoje recebe a Cabofriense em Edson Passos, para um encontro entre os presidentes Romário e André Felipe. Em um torneio no qual sobram boas histórias em 2025, os 12 participantes se enfrentarão em 11 rodadas de um turno único. Os quatro primeiros colocados avançarão à semifinal, e somente o campeão sobe. Esta é a expectativa principal para o Bangu, rebaixado neste ano […]
Čeští hokejisté dosud stoprocentní. Jaká je historická bilance Česka s Kazachstánem na MS v hokeji
Dosud poslední vzájemný zápas sehrála česká reprezentace s Kazachstánem na světovém šampionátu v roce 2023 v lotyšské Rize. Češi tehdy nad svým soupeřem zvítězili přesvědčivě 5:1.Teprve páté vzájemné utkání se odehraje na letošním šampionátu v základní skupině v dánském Herningu. Utkání je na programu v sobotu 17. května od 16:20.Bilance Česko - Kazaschstán na MS v hokejiDatumMísto, fázeVýsledek26. dubna 2004Praha, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 7:05. května 2005Vídeň, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 1:013. května 2016Moskva, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 3:114. května 2023Riga, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 5:117. května 2025Herning, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán ONLINEObě reprezentace se na světových šampionátech zatím utkali pouze čtyřikrát. Stoprocentní bilancí se můžou pochlubit Češi, když všechny zápasy vyhráli a obdrželi v nich dohromady pouze dvě branky. V posledním utkání na šampionátu v lotyšské Rize čeští hokejisté vyhráli 5:1.Nejcennějším umístěním v historii kazašské reprezentace na MS je 10. místo z roku 2021. Na posledním mistrovství hraném v Praze se Kazachstán umístil na 12. místě, když za sebou nechal pouze Dánsko, Francii, […]
Z psance národním hrdinou. Roky schytával zlobu fandů, teď Červenku čeká 100. zápas na MS
Herning (Od našeho zpravodaje) - Už je to víc než 16 let, dohromady 5 866 dní, co ho kouč Vladimír Růžička na světovém šampionátu ve Švýcarsku poslal do úvodního mače proti Dánsku. Zařadil ho do čtvrté lajny, po boku měl Plekance s Oleszem a vyjma dvouminutového trestu za nedovolené bránění se do statistik výrazněji nezapsal.A ani v nejmenším to nevypadalo, že právě započala výjimečná kariéra Romana Červenky na světových šampionátech, která se v sobotu zakulatí na číslovce 100, což v historii dokázala pouze dvacítka jiných plejerů. A že ta kariéra bude čítat dva tituly mistra světa, přičemž k tomu druhému dovede tým jako kapitán. Že dvakrát bude zvolen i do All star výběru a od prezidenta si vyslouží i státní vyznamenání.Vlastně tomu moc nenasvědčovalo ani po tom sedm let starém smutku v Herningu. „Není potřeba si nic nalhávat. Moje góly celému mužstvu chyběly,“ soukal tehdy ze sebe.Jaký rozdíl oproti letošku, kde už po prvním […]
Valkyries drop WNBA opener in a party not even Sparks’ Kelsey Plum could spoil
SAN FRANCISCO — Kelsey Plum torched the home squad. The visiting Los Angeles Sparks walked away with an 84-67 win. Still, the sellout crowd at Chase Center punctuated the night with a rousing ovation.History was made. Professional women’s basketball was back in the Bay Area, forever a hotbed for the sport. The 18,064 fans understood the assignment. This was a violet party, one even Plum couldn’t ruin.AdvertisementShe lit up the Golden State Valkyries with an array of shots, stepbacks and crafty drives, and finished with 37 points on 19 shots in her Sparks debut. Plum’s performance highlighted the expansion struggles of the hosts. Golden State simply doesn’t have a star on that level yet.Tiffany Hayes, former teammates with Plum in Las Vegas, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The reigning Sixth Woman of the Year emerged as the go-to […]
Related
Phillies pay tribute to ‘POOP’ scoreboard before a wild win over Pirates
<!--> The beginning of Major League Baseball's Rivalry Weekend series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates was also an ending of sorts. Before the season, NBC Sports Philadelphia announced it was changing the Phillies' logo on its scorebug from the letter "P" to "PHI."Normally, that would not be a story worthy of headlines. But by doing so, the broadcast deprived fans of a simple pleasure in life: seeing a "P00P" scoreboard whenever the Phillies faced off against the Pirates. On Friday night, the network decided to pay tribute to that "gone but never forgotten" scorebug. "It was more than just a scoreboard. It was a legend," Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy solemnly read. "An unforgettable icon. Its name, once met with chuckles, quickly became synonymous with good times and fierce rivalries. As the final out arrives on its bright and brilliant run, […]
A crise da CBF em atos: entenda a novela de 8 anos que levou ao afastamento de Ednaldo Rodrigues
Ex-zagueiro e capitão da seleção brasileira: Lúcio é internado em Brasília após sofrer queimadurasPodcast Toca e passa: Diego Ribas admite que influenciava companheiros negativamente quando ia para o banco, mas destaca mudança no Flamengo Embora a decisão tenha sido motivada por indícios de fraude num documento, o afastamento de Ednaldo é parte de longa novela de quase oito anos que hoje é difícil de ser vista em toda a sua dimensão. Por isso, para compreender a queda do cartola é preciso voltar no tempo. O começo de tudo Em março de 2017, a CBF, então presidida por Marco Polo Del Nero, alterou suas regras eleitorais numa assembleia da qual só participaram as federações estaduais. A medida levou o Ministério Público do Rio (MPRJ) a entrar com ação para anular as decisões e afastar a cúpula da entidade. Antes que o […]
Só uma vaga na elite: A2 do Cariocão começa hoje com três times da capital, presidentes boleiros e possíveis surpresas
A Rua Bariri será hoje um dos quatro palcos que abrem a Série A2 do Campeonato Carioca. A partir das 15h, Olaria e Bangu se enfrentam na Zona Norte do Rio de Janeiro, em confronto suburbano de dois dos três times da capital fluminense - o America é o outro. Ambos já se encontraram em situação melhor, mas a missão agora é vencer a corrida por uma vaga na elite do Estadual. O America é o outro, e hoje recebe a Cabofriense em Edson Passos, para um encontro entre os presidentes Romário e André Felipe. Em um torneio no qual sobram boas histórias em 2025, os 12 participantes se enfrentarão em 11 rodadas de um turno único. Os quatro primeiros colocados avançarão à semifinal, e somente o campeão sobe. Esta é a expectativa principal para o Bangu, rebaixado neste ano […]
Čeští hokejisté dosud stoprocentní. Jaká je historická bilance Česka s Kazachstánem na MS v hokeji
Dosud poslední vzájemný zápas sehrála česká reprezentace s Kazachstánem na světovém šampionátu v roce 2023 v lotyšské Rize. Češi tehdy nad svým soupeřem zvítězili přesvědčivě 5:1.Teprve páté vzájemné utkání se odehraje na letošním šampionátu v základní skupině v dánském Herningu. Utkání je na programu v sobotu 17. května od 16:20.Bilance Česko - Kazaschstán na MS v hokejiDatumMísto, fázeVýsledek26. dubna 2004Praha, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 7:05. května 2005Vídeň, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 1:013. května 2016Moskva, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 3:114. května 2023Riga, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán 5:117. května 2025Herning, skupinaČesko - Kazachstán ONLINEObě reprezentace se na světových šampionátech zatím utkali pouze čtyřikrát. Stoprocentní bilancí se můžou pochlubit Češi, když všechny zápasy vyhráli a obdrželi v nich dohromady pouze dvě branky. V posledním utkání na šampionátu v lotyšské Rize čeští hokejisté vyhráli 5:1.Nejcennějším umístěním v historii kazašské reprezentace na MS je 10. místo z roku 2021. Na posledním mistrovství hraném v Praze se Kazachstán umístil na 12. místě, když za sebou nechal pouze Dánsko, Francii, […]
Z psance národním hrdinou. Roky schytával zlobu fandů, teď Červenku čeká 100. zápas na MS
Herning (Od našeho zpravodaje) - Už je to víc než 16 let, dohromady 5 866 dní, co ho kouč Vladimír Růžička na světovém šampionátu ve Švýcarsku poslal do úvodního mače proti Dánsku. Zařadil ho do čtvrté lajny, po boku měl Plekance s Oleszem a vyjma dvouminutového trestu za nedovolené bránění se do statistik výrazněji nezapsal.A ani v nejmenším to nevypadalo, že právě započala výjimečná kariéra Romana Červenky na světových šampionátech, která se v sobotu zakulatí na číslovce 100, což v historii dokázala pouze dvacítka jiných plejerů. A že ta kariéra bude čítat dva tituly mistra světa, přičemž k tomu druhému dovede tým jako kapitán. Že dvakrát bude zvolen i do All star výběru a od prezidenta si vyslouží i státní vyznamenání.Vlastně tomu moc nenasvědčovalo ani po tom sedm let starém smutku v Herningu. „Není potřeba si nic nalhávat. Moje góly celému mužstvu chyběly,“ soukal tehdy ze sebe.Jaký rozdíl oproti letošku, kde už po prvním […]
Valkyries drop WNBA opener in a party not even Sparks’ Kelsey Plum could spoil
SAN FRANCISCO — Kelsey Plum torched the home squad. The visiting Los Angeles Sparks walked away with an 84-67 win. Still, the sellout crowd at Chase Center punctuated the night with a rousing ovation.History was made. Professional women’s basketball was back in the Bay Area, forever a hotbed for the sport. The 18,064 fans understood the assignment. This was a violet party, one even Plum couldn’t ruin.AdvertisementShe lit up the Golden State Valkyries with an array of shots, stepbacks and crafty drives, and finished with 37 points on 19 shots in her Sparks debut. Plum’s performance highlighted the expansion struggles of the hosts. Golden State simply doesn’t have a star on that level yet.Tiffany Hayes, former teammates with Plum in Las Vegas, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The reigning Sixth Woman of the Year emerged as the go-to […]
Be the first to leave a comment