The Leafs currently find themselves in a position they haven’t been in since the first-round series versus the Boston Bruins back in 2018 — two games behind — only this time they’re heading out on the road for a must-win Game 3.
If there are reasons for optimism, it starts with the resilience shown on the road in the Tampa series — they won all three away games — as well as the team’s ability to control the run of play and scoring chances in the series against the Panthers so far. They’ve been playing on offense far more, getting through the neutral zone far easier, and creating far more high-danger chances than they were at any point in the Lightning series.