After playing every other night for the first four games of the series, the Battle of Ontario takes a back seat to the Federal Election on this Monday.
Instead, the Leafs will host the Senators on Tuesday night for Game 5 as they take their second crack at trying to eliminate their provincial rivals.
Even though they lost on Saturday night in Game 4 via a Jake Sanderson OT winner, the Leafs played well enough to win. Considering what we’ve seen in the past from this team, that’s a good sign that – once again – this team is different.
Speaking of which, we kicked off the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take by addressing some news and notes from Leafs practice. Most importantly, Auston Matthews wasn’t on the ice. Per Leafs PR, it was for rest purposes. Gulp. Seriously, it’s hard to not overreact to that. Joseph Woll didn’t skate either because “he’s under the weather.”
Additionally, we discussed all the goaltending issues in Round 1. There’s been a plethora of injuries – including Frederik Andersen – and some poor play, too. See Connor Hellebuyck and Stuart Skinner. As expected, it’s been a chaotic start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs —in general. Weirdly, the Battle of Ontario has been relatively quiet from a news standpoint.
At any rate, brought to you by RVezy, we looked back at Game 4. Once again, the Leafs were one shot away from icing the series. They had their chances. Matthews hit the post in OT and Toronto failed to score on their four-minute power play. Furthermore, Ottawa deserves credit for the way they played. For the first time in the series, Linus Ullmark outplayed Anthony Stolarz, too. We talked a lot about the Core Four. Any way you slice it, they need to elevate and bring this team to Round 2. On top of that, discipline will continue to play a role. Max Domi took a dumb penalty on Saturday and the Sens made the Leafs pay for it. In general, though, Toronto should feel really good with where they’re at right now. Of the 15 goals they’ve scored in the series, five have come from the blue line —which you love to see. All in all, the team just needs one more big effort to solidify the series victory.
To wrap, we got to the CRISPI HOT TAKE OF THE DAY, presented by the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer. Producer Vick thinks Joseph Woll should start Game 5. Interesting stuff. Unsurprisingly, we both disagreed with that sentiment.
Carter Hutton will sub in for Jay Rosehill on the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Join us at 11 AM ET for a full preview of Game 5. Additionally, the one and only Bruce Boudreau will drop by to weigh in on the series.
You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!