Game 5: Maple Leafs will lean on home ice in hopes of retaking series lead

The Toronto Maple Leafs return home and will look to retake the lead in their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have not lost two consecutive games in the playoffs over the past three years. The good news for the Leafs is they can still win the series without having to beat the Bolts in two straight — but that would make Tuesday’s Game 5 a must-win for the blue and white.

“I think we should be feeling confident, feeling good, coming back at home here,” says Auston Matthews.

The Leafs get home ice for two of the next three after completing a successful regular season that saw the team amass the most points in franchise history.

“The reality is we earned the right to have home ice,” says Morgan Reilly. “We’re now in a best-of-three series where we’ve got two games at home.”

"It's on us to produce some results and prove that we've grown, we've matured, we've learned."

Morgan Rielly talks about how the @MapleLeafs have learned from past experiences. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/YalvG5oo9M

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2022

The team hopes to rebound after a virtual no-show in Tampa where they fell behind 5-0 halfway through the second period. Head coach Sheldon Keefe says he is confident in their ability to bounce back after the rough loss.

“Anytime that we’ve been challenged, whether its regular season or even in this playoff series, we’ve responded very well,” says Keefe.

There is no word on any lineup changes for the Leafs heading into Tuesday night’s matchup. Some speculate defenseman Justin Holl could return to the press box after facing criticism over his play in Tampa.

Captain John Tavares won’t be coming out of the lineup but he has also been hearing rumblings about his performance in the series to date. Tavares hasn’t scored a playoff goal since 2020 after getting hurt in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens last year and being left off the scoresheet so far against the Lightning.

The home team could certainly use a breakout game from their captain.

To say the ghosts of the Maple Leafs’ (recent) past came back in Game 4’s 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning is an understatement.

It was a haunting.@jtbourne dives into a game that will be hard to forget for Leafs fans.https://t.co/uYBIoabFeo

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2022

Tavares has been reunited on a line with William Nylander who scored two goals on Sunday after Game 4 was out of reach.

“We’ve had some looks and maybe not gotten the production that we could have gotten, but it’s building,” says Nylander.

It is expected to be a near perfect spring evening for fans taking the game in outdoors on the big screen at Maple Leaf Square. Capacity has already been reached for the tailgate party outside Scotiabank Arena.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.