The Toronto Maple Leafs have blown another 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after the Florida Panthers have won the past two games.
While scoring was a major issue in Game 4, another problem is how many times the Maple Leafs are going to the penalty box. Head coach Craig Berube explained how those troubles put them in an early hole in Sunday's contest in South Florida.
Via Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
“Well yeah, and our whole team after last game, right?’’ Berube responded when asked about whether he wanted to see Domi be more disciplined. “We went to the box five times. We talked about that today, we can’t go to the box five times. Especially four in the first period. It takes your momentum away. It takes certain guys out of rhythm on the bench, overusing other guys. It’s not a good recipe. You got to be more disciplined.
“Like, the stick ones aren’t good,’’ added the veteran Leafs coach. “You got to control your stick. We all know that. Those are the ones, in my opinion, that hurt ya. I get that there’s physical penalties and hits and things like that, and you’re going to go to the box. That’s playing the game hard.’’




The Maple Leafs took six penalties in Game 4, and four were in the first period. The Panthers scored on one of them. Toronto needs to be physical, there's no question about it. That's a must against a team with the likes of Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett.
However, there needs to be a balance, as veteran Morgan Reilly alluded to:
“I think there’s a balance, you know? To turn the other cheek is good,” Reilly said Tuesday. “To stay out of things (after the whistle) is good. But at the same time, we want to play a physical game, too. It’s the playoffs. It’s intense. You turn the other cheek all you want, but there’s also times where it’s appropriate to respond, be physical and engage in stuff. That’s what the balance is. It’s not as easy as you think, because you want to walk the line. We’re not just going to back down from them. We’re going to play hard.’’
We can expect another physical affair on Wednesday after Max Domi blindsided Aleksander Barkov at the end of Game 4. More fireworks wouldn't be a surprise. Toronto just needs to make the right physical plays without being sent to the box.