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    Nylander Needs to Play and Reaves Needs to Sit: 5 Ways the Maple Leafs Can Win Game 2

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    Nylander Needs to Play and Reaves Needs to Sit: 5 Ways the Maple Leafs Can Win Game 2

    William Nylander

    Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

    Another year, another Game 1 loss for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were defeated 5-1 to the Boston Bruins in their first-round opener last week.

    But worry not, Leafs fans. A Game 1 loss isn’t the end of the world — much less the end to the series.

    A year ago, Toronto was blown out 7-3 to Tampa Bay. But the Leafs rebounded with a 7-3 win in Game 2 and won the series. Can something similar happen this year against Boston? 

    Heading into Game 2, here are 5 keys to success:

    Nylander Needs to Play

    No one — aside from the Leafs — knows what exactly kept William Nylander out of Game 1. But whatever it was, he needs to suck it up and get back into the lineup for Game 2. These are the playoffs, after all. 

    A year ago, Matthew Tkachuk played with a broken sternum that required him to rely on his brother to lift him out of bed in the morning and his teammates to help him get dressed. Nicklas Lidstrom once won a Cup with a ruptured testicle. 

    Nylander, who had 40 goals and 98 points this season, might not be 100% healthy. But even at 50%, he is a difference maker. And in a series where depth can be the difference between a win or a loss, the Leafs needs all the offensive weapons they can get.

    Samsonov Has to Rebound

    The Bruins obviously have the better goalie in the series. Heck, they’ve got the two-best goalies in the series. But that doesn’t mean that Ilya Samsonov, who allowed four goals on 23 shots, cannot be better. And he will have to be. 

    Luckily for the Leafs, one game does not make a series. If it did, the Leafs would not have advanced past the Lightning last year.

    Remember, Samsonov allowed six goals in Game 1 of a first-round series to Tampa Bay in 2023. But he then rebounded in a 7-2 win and ended up outplaying Andrei Vasilevskiy for the rest of the series.

    The Leafs will him to do that again. Or, at the very least, to give his team a chance by keeping the damage to a minimum.

    Related: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Again? Yes, and Isn’t It Wonderful?

    Reaves Should Sit

    Ryan Reaves should not be playing in the playoffs. Simply put, he is a luxury the Leafs cannot afford.

    With Nylander expected to get back in, Reaves seems like the logical player to sit.

    There is no need to dress a fighter, who had four goals and two assists this season. Especially not when Boston has a fourth line that includes Pat Maroon, Jesper Boqvist and John Beecher, the latter who took advantage of a Reaves’ pinch for Boston’s first goal in Gmae 1.

    Stop the Nonsense

    From the opening puck drop, where Max Domi was slashing and shoving Brad Marchand, it looked like it was going to be that kind of night for Toronto’s top-line winger.

    It only got worse from there.

    Domi, who took two penalties, looked like he was channelling a 2018/19-era Nazem Kadri with the undisciplined way he played in Game 1. The rest of the Leafs were no better, as they tried to match the Bruins’ physicality but ended up taking undisciplined penalties that cost Toronto the game.

    If the Leafs expect to win, they will need to stay out of the box and play the kind of skilled game that has been the backbone of their success.

    Big Guns Have to Start Firing

    Auston Matthews needs to score. Mitch Marner needs to find his way onto the scoresheet. It’s really as simple as that. 

    The Leafs are not a balanced offensive team.

    Matthews finished the year with 69 goals. The next-highest scorer had 19 fewer goals. In the playoffs, you need your best players to be their best. In Game 1, that wasn’t the case.

    David Kampf, who had Toronto’s only goal, was the team’s best player.

    Matthews, meanwhile, had five shots. Marner had two. None of them had a point.

    That needs to change. And quick. A year ago, Matthews led Toronto to a first-round series win against Tampa Bay by scoring five goals and nine points in six games, while Marner had 11 points. If the Leafs are going to do the same against the Bruins, the top guns will need to start firing again.

    Related: One Goal Short of 70: Is This Still the Best We’ve Seen of Auston Matthews?



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