How does Drake affect maple leaves?
This is the question we all ask ourselves after he potentially cursed Toronto with a supposed Instagram story before Maple Leafs eliminated his opponent. Although they had a chance to finish the series in six, the reigning champions of the Stanley Cup imposed a decisive match 7.
So what are the keys to each country’s transition to the next round?
Toronto: Control of the matches with Aston Matthews
The Maple Leafs have home ice for Match 7 and this is something that coaches should use to their advantage. With a 5-on-5 in this series, Toronto is still generating one of the highest levels of attempts to hit Matthew on the ice and passes to the slot thanks to both center finishes and efforts to move the puck on his right wing, Mitch Marner. And Matthews still surprisingly leads the team in attempts to strike, including from the slot.
But Lightning is doing everything possible to limit this, especially by hindering his attempts. So, with the latest change, there will probably be a concerted effort to keep Matthews away from people like Anthony Sirelli (who leads in blocked shots for Tampa Bay) and Victor Hedman (who leads in blocked passes) as they have done their best. good to slow down one of the biggest offensive threats in this series.
If the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander can maintain the pressure they generated in Game 6 and the top line clicks, Tampa Bay could be in trouble.
Tampa Bay: Maintaining the lead
Lightning took a 2-0 lead in Game 6, which could have ended their season. Fortunately, they managed to finish the game once again to force the overtime. But this could become a problem if they do not cope with Toronto’s efforts to continue better.
The 5-on-5 Lightning is good for the offensive generation as they play ahead – but they don’t finish so many of their chances of upgrading that. The problem is that they allow a lot of quality chances back and more of them end up in the back of the net than expected. In the regular season, Toronto was one of the best teams in the back game; they are still in a higher class than other teams in the playoffs. So far, in six games, Tampa Bay has generally not been as inspiring as it has lagged behind in the games, so if it holds up in that decision, they will have to build a lead and find a way to keep Toronto from increasing returns.
Toronto: Stay disciplined or kill all the time
In Game 1, the short efforts of the Maple Leafs helped them open the series with victory. This was nothing new; rather, it was a continuation of their regular season game with aggressive double-sided play during the penalty shootout.
But now in six games, Tampa Bay has seven goals in the power game. Right or wrong about the stakes that are made and not made, Toronto must work to maintain discipline or find a way to return to its ways of killing power more consistently in this match by violating its opponent in the formation with his sticks, forcing the puck to leave the zone (ideally with possession as in the regular season) and finding ways to test Andrei Vassilevsky out of haste.
In all situations, the Leafs have executed 35 penalties, while they have made only 30. While Lightning are leading in penalties in the offensive zone (eight), Toronto is on top with 20 in defense. In the match on Thursday night, the away team executed two penalties for the third period and the equalizer was in the back of the net with this 5 to 3 advantage for Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay: Defense of Andrei Vassilevski
Entering this series, Tampa Bay had a bona fide advantage in the network. Jack Campbell started the season strong and saw his game decline as he continued. Vassilevski still finished at the top of the league in goals saved above expectations, even if he was not at his usual level. But his presence gave the Lightning an advantage in goal.
Although the Toronto goalkeeper is the only one to receive the hook at one point in the series, their performances are not very different. Campbell conceded 2.66 goals above expectations in all situations, while Vassilevski (in a little more ice) was 2.72. There are different expectations between these two goalkeepers and maybe Lightning are not used to entering the post-season without playing from the caliber of Conn Smythe. But at the moment they are not getting that. So what can the team do to help it get there?
Excluding special teams, there is work to be done on a 5-on-5 basis. There, Toronto created 95 slot attempts, 56 of which connected to the network and eight of which ended up in the back. Both teams generated a lot of speed, but Maple Leafs have an advantage and created a lot of chances to score outside the cycle, unlike their opponent. Contributing to these quality chances is the ability of Maple Leafs to move the washer to the slot, so this is another area that Lightning can work on for cleaning.
Looking forward to Game 7
As wide as the start of this series was, the last few games were much closer. And Game 7 probably won’t be any different. That is why every quality chance or every mistake is much more important.
The stakes are as high as ever, with the Maple Leafs facing elimination for the first time in this series against a team that knows how to elevate their game when it’s most important. On the other hand, there is Toronto, which has to overcome this obstacle against a team that may have a low gas level after two long series.
So it’s going to be a good night, Tampa on Saturday night? Or will it be Good Night again, Toronto?
Data via Sportlogiq
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