On Thursday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs managed to live another day, and the Vancouver Canucks hope to prevent Nashville from doing the same on Friday.
Five things to be aware of before Friday’s postseason action:
LEAFS HOLD ON
Despite all odds, the Toronto Maple Leafs made it to Thursday night’s Game 7. The Bruins were defeated 2-1 at home by star winger William Nylander, who scored both goals to send the best-of-seven first-round series to a Game 7 on Saturday in Boston.
But the question now becomes whether the Leafs can finally overcome their enduring rivals.
The Leafs battled back from 3-1 deficits against Boston in 2013 and 2018 before losing in seven. Toronto held a 3-2 lead against the Bruins in 2019, but then dropped two straight for a third series loss against Boston in seven years.
Can the Leafs turn their fortunes around like last year’s drought-ending first-round series victory?
STAR HEALTH
The Leafs are dealing with another injury concern as sniper Auston Matthews is recovering after Nylander missed the opening three games of the series due to an ailment that was not revealed.
Due to illness, Matthews was forced out of Games 4 and 5, missing those games which Toronto managed to win in order to avoid elimination and force a seventh game.
It’s unclear if Matthews will be ready for Saturday’s game, but the Leafs would certainly be glad to have him in the championship match.
FINISH THE JOB
The Vancouver Canucks will be looking to avoid a Game 7 on Friday as they carry a 3-2 series lead into Nashville.
Vancouver already missed an opportunity to close out the series at home in Game 5, falling 2-1 on Tuesday after giving up two unanswered goals in the third period.
The last thing the Canucks need is being on the wrong end of a team catching steam entering a Game 7.
SWEEP IN THE BACK DOOR?
Not very long ago, the Dallas Stars’ situation was not good. They needed to scrape wins away from the Vegas Golden Knights, the reigning champions, after dropping their opening two games at home. This was in spite of an outstanding regular season.
