The Florida Panthers hosted their second-round opponent the Toronto Maple Leafs in what was a tight game from start to finish. A huge complement to the Panthers and their coaching staff is in order, they have dissected the Leafs overall in the past three games. Game three ended in overtime.
The Florida Panthers gameplay analysis.
The Panther’s overall gameplay is observed as dominant when the team applies pressure, is incredibly nifty with the puck on both ends of the ice, and plays with quite the formation. Also, the defense just smothers the zone, where the Leafs are not able to penetrate at all, including in front-of-the-net battles.
The offense takes off as if they are playing a game 7 finals contest in overtime. Quite the chemistry with all four lines put together and shutting down the Leafs when the team has dictated to do so.
Scoring goals has not been an issue, as they have produced and penetrated the Toronto Maple Leafs defense accordingly, and made sure the turnovers are effectively used. By, scoring goals at the opportune time and capitalizing on the mistakes the Leaf’s players make.
The Florida Panthers are a team that knew when to put the pressure on the Leaf’s lineup and pick them apart in the offensive end to what has now led to Florida-10 goals and Toronto-6 goals.
The series is not over for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ woes are coming back to haunt them and the most distracting aspect for the team is that the three losses will dictate their gameplay for game 4, and most importantly the direction of this team going forth.
To say, that this team has lost all aspects of the series and is on a verge of an overwhelming sweep by the hands of the Florida Panthers, does not mean they will give up by not performing at an elite level, and come out playing in game 4.
This is a team that has the heart and resilience just like the Panthers and knows when to face adversity. It would be hard to not let critics and news put pressure on the players, but the series is not over.