What a Wednesday night that was for Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who overcame a 2-0 deficit in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning and score a 4-3 victory to take the 3-2 series lead. Matthews scored the game-winning goal that sent the crowd at Scotiabank Arena exploding in excitement, though, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe tried to pump the brakes after the thrilling game.
Sheldon Keefe: “I don't think tonight is going to matter if we don't take the next step. The hardest step.”
As most playoffs veterans would probably agree, closing out a series is one of the trickiest aspects of the postseason. The trailing team is always expected to be the hungrier ones, looking to pounce on any measure of a false sense of confidence by the other side, let alone if the team whose backs are against the wall is the two-time defending champions like the Lightning.
Tampa Bay is still a ridiculously talented team with more experience in high-pressure situations in the playoffs. And with the series shifting back to Tampa for Game 6, the Maple Leafs can definitely expect a hostile environment, Keefe said just the right thing to still keep his team on its toes.