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.

Via Chris Johnston of TSN:

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.