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The Toronto Maple Leafs had 15 regulation losses during the regular season. The only team to have more of the 16 teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was the Nashville Predators. You might say you can throw out stats like that in the postseason, but the Leafs have not exactly exercised any home ice advantage in the playoffs recently.
If you eliminate games in the bubble in 2020 and in front of no crowds in 2021, the Leafs lost two games at home (including the deciding Game 7) at Scotiabank Arena against Tampa Bay. Last season, their six-game series win over the Lightning came about mostly because of three overtime victories at Amalie Arena, as they got blown out in the series opener 7-3 and lost a chance to clinch on home ice in Game 5. In their second-round loss to the Panthers, they lost all three home games.
If the Leafs are to achieve victory and exorcise some of their playoff demons against the Boston Bruins, it may come down to their ability to play well in front of their home crowd for a change.
Toronto evened the best-of-seven series on Monday with Auston Matthews playing arguably his best playoff game of his eight-year career, scoring a goal and two assists, including the game-winner late in the third period and with Ilya Samsonov making 27 saves in a bounce-back performance after struggling in the series opener on Saturday.
The lingering question for Game 3 was the status of William Nylander. The Leafs second-leading scorer missed the first two games with an unspecified injury, and like before Game 2, the winger skated for over 45 minutes as part of an optional morning skate. Head coach Sheldon Keefe continued to be non-committal about Nylander’s status, but as the club took to the ice for their pre-game twirl, the speedy Swede was not skating in preparation for the critical contest.
There has been no indication from the club of the nature of the injury, or should you expect there to be since it is the playoffs. There is not expected to be any lineup changes with Nylander not being able to play, but without him for the third straight game, Keefe will need to use the last change to get better line matchups.
The Bruins received some bad news on the injury front, as defenseman Andrew Peeke suffered a hand injury blocking a shot and he will be out week-to-week. Former Leaf James van Riemsdyk will replace Jakub Lauko up front, while Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon will replace Peeke and Matt Grzelcyk on defense. Head coach Jim Montgomery will go back to Jeremy Swayman for Game 3, who made 35 saves in the Game 1 victory.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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