The Maple Leafs have capitalized on just one of 20 power-play opportunities in their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.
The Maple Leafs have capitalized on just one of 20 power-play opportunities in their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.
Amidst a string of power play struggles through the first six games of their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins, Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe made it clear the team is planning to stand pat, hoping to capitalize if given the chance in Game 7.
From his comments post Game 6 after an 0-for-3 night with the man advantage, Keefe remains focused on weathering the storm, despite his power play producing at just a one-for-twenty, five percent rate overall. Given how tight the series has been as a whole, with little to no margin for error, the series could ultimately come down to a power play goal.
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“Stick with it as opposed to not sticking with it. You're not going to change everything for one game,” Keefe stated.
With the absence of both William Nylander and Auston Matthews dispersed throughout the six games, the power play has yet to be fully intact – leading to numerous adjustments and refinements personnel-wise over the six-game period. Some of the changes have been intentional by design to address their set-up, structure, and entry into the offensive zone, no matter who is put on the ice.
As Matthews’ status is still up in the air for Game 7, the Maple Leafs’ top unit may be without their 69-goal scorer yet again.
The Leafs are not abandoning the power play that had them ranked seventh-best across the NHL in the regular season operating at 23.9% which contributed to producing the second most goals (298) in the regular season only behind the Colorado Avalanche (302). Instead, Keefe and the Maple Leafs seem convinced that persistence will lead to results if they continue to stay the course.
“We're not going to decline the power play, no,” Keefe joked. “Some of it comes down to execution. No better time for it to happen than in game seven."
Despite their struggles on the power play through the first six games of their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins, the Maple Leafs find themselves knotted in the series at 3-3 after trailing 3-1 six days ago.
Their strong 5-on-5 play and willingness to play defensively sound have brought them to an even slate with one more opportunity in Game 7 to put their play on display. With a win, the Maple Leafs would punch their ticket to a second-round rematch with the Florida Panthers.
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