BOSTON — If the Toronto Maple Leafs are to complete their comeback and stun the Boston Bruins in their own barn Saturday, it appears they’ll have do so without their best player.
Yes, Auston Matthews arrived at TD Garden on May the Fourth sporting a Star Wars: A New Hope T-shirt.
Yes, he participated in a full (no-contact) morning skate with his teammates, and he is making progress from his mystery ailment(s).
But the sense in Leafland is that Toronto’s MVP will miss a third consecutive elimination game Saturday.
“As of right now, we’re proceeding as we’ve been,” coach Sheldon Keefe said of his Game 7 lineup.
Officially, Matthews’ status is up in the air, but the tone around the group does not suggest 34 will drop into the scene to save the day with a lightsaber blazing.
“Good to see him out there working through what he’s working through,” Nick Robertson said.
“Brings a great vibe to our team, so great having him out there,” added Mitch Marner, whose own health was in question late in the regular season.
“I’m sure it’s very tough… Getting asked 1,000 times a day how you’re doing probably by a bunch of people is annoying, too. Obviously wants to be out there. He’s a hell of a competitor. You see in every level that he’s been at. So, he wants to be out there for sure. But we’ll see.”
Matthews was not made available to reporters.
The Maple Leafs are 3-0 this season when he does not play.
Bruins feeling the heat
Unable to solve Joseph Woll or crack a committed Toronto defence, the home team has squandered its first two chances to end this series and is a horrendous 0-6 in its past six close-out opportunities.
They blew a 3-1 series lead in the first round to the Florida Panthers just last spring.
“This is a completely new year,” defenceman Brandon Carlo argued. “I think you [media]guys are bringing that up too much.”
Following a nervous-looking performance at home in Game 5, the Bruins held a serious team meeting to adjust their mindset.
“A lot of things we needed to hear, needed to see — and we’ll be better from it,” Charlie McAvoy said, after the Bruins were unable to stomp the throat. “It was about looking in the mirror.
“Not only are you against your opponent, but you’re against human nature too. And all that stuff happens between the ears. That’s on us to be a mature group here, to realize where we are. To stay in the moment and to stay together.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Reaves is taking joy in Toronto’s ability to plant the Bruins’ seed of doubt in Game 5, then water it in Game 6.
“Seed’s growing. We gotta get a couple flowers on that thing tonight,” Reaves said after morning skate.
“For sure,” he senses the length of the series taking a mental toll on Boston. “You gotta come back and play a Game 7 — you got to be frustrated with that. I think the way we’ve done it, it’s got to be frustrating them a little bit. Probably making them doubt a little bit over there. And now our confidence is growing, so they’re gonna come out hungry. Yeah, we got to do the exact same.”
‘Pasta needs to step up’
Boston’s MVP, David Pastrnak, has yet to have a signature game in this series, and was called out by coach Jim Montgomery after Game 6 as a result.
“I don’t think we’re shadowing him or anything like that. But with a player like that, who puts the puck in the net at will, you got to know when he’s on the ice, gotta know where he is,” Reaves says of the Leafs’ plan to starch Pasta.
“Our awareness has gone up a little bit. But I don’t think we’re really chasing him around the ice. We’re definitely playing physical against him, trying to slow down his speed, and make him make quicker plays than he wants to.”
The self-assured Jeremy Swayman is betting on a Pastrnak breakout: “A boatload of confidence. There’s no doubt in my mind. Pasta, every guy in this locker room is going to pull their end of the rope. And that’s what’s going to be so special is, when these guys do their job to the best of their abilities, they give max effort. And that’s what I expect from my teammates. That’s what they expect from me. And that’s what makes us such a special group.
Gregor’s ‘unexpected’ debut
Noah Gregor says his entrance to the series Thursday was “a little unexpected” after 15 days of healthy scratches.
It was not until after Game 6’s morning skate that he saw his name on the whiteboard, where Reaves’s had been for the first five games.
With the physical tone already set, Keefe pulled the speedy fourth-liner aside before his first-ever NHL playoff game.
The message: “Play with some pace. Play with some physicality. And bring some energy for us.”
Gregor called Mom and Dad with the big news — “They’re my biggest supporters, so they were pumped to see me in,” he smiles — then shook the nerves and delivered positive shifts.
“The playoffs are a different animal. You’re coming into a high-paced game, a lot of intensity, and an elimination game at that,” Gregor says. “But I thought I handled it well.”
A healthy scratch, Reaves still threw on a hoodie and stood in the dressing-room lineup for pounds and pump-up vibes as the guys in skates took the ice.
Typically, scratches throw on a suit and head to the press box at that time, or busy themselves with a solo workout.
Reaves says he always does this when he’s a playoff scratch. Sometimes in the regular season, too.
“I like to be around the boys. It’s part of what I do is bring energy,” Reaves explains. “You’re not gonna win with 20 guys; you gotta win with 28 guys. Some guys are in some nights, somebody’s gonna be out. Everybody’s got to stay positive, stay with the team, and do what they can.
“If you’re not playing, bring energy. You got to fire the boys up and do whatever you can to help. I’m here for the long haul, not for a short time.”
One-Timers: Matthews was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy… Bobby McMann (lower body) participated in his first full team skate since getting injured. He’s progressing well but won’t be an option until Round 2…. Boston’s Danton Heinen is a game-time decision…. Marner on Toronto’s 1-for-20 power-play: “It’s a little out of sorts.”… One of these clubs will end a stretch of consecutive Game 7 defeats: Boston is 0-3 since the 2019 Stanley Cup Final (0-2 at home), while Toronto is 0-5 since the 2013 Conference Quarterfinals (0-3 on road, all at Boston)…. The Bruins and Leafs are the first franchises in NHL history to require a Game 7 in at least four consecutive head-to-head playoff series.
