LEAF TAKEAWAYS: Matthews, Marner, Woll show up for shutout of Panthers

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Just when the Maple Leafs’ season was heading south to elimination, they’ve pointed it north for a Game 7.

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Their previously Not Ready For Prime Time Players — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — combined on the game-winning first goal at Sunrise, Fla., on Friday night, but it was a true group effort from Joseph Woll out, to fix the GPS in a 2-0 win, setting up a winner-take-all Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Our takeaways on the victory at Amerant Bank Arena.

IN FROM THE COLD

It was the kind of goal Matthews and Marner score with ease in regular season, but denied to them in so many playoff games when heavy foes such as Florida shut down their ice.

Early in the third period of 0-0 game, an interception by Marner at the Panthers blueline led to a quick pass to former Rocket Richard Trophy-winner Matthews for a five-hole dart on Sergei Bobrovsky, who had a .982 save percentage entering Friday.

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“He’s a special player and your best players rise to the occasion,” Woll told the media in Sunrise, flipping the criticism that Matthews has endured at this time of year.

Matthews was grateful to not only shift the conversation from his 13 games without a playoff goal against Florida, to everyone closing ranks around Woll and his injured first-line left winger Matthew Knies.

“Gutsy win to keep our season alive, gutsy win all around,” he said. “Break through late and play solid defence to close it out. It feels good to see that (goal), but the job’s not done yet.”

Max Pacioretty, who added an insurance goal, called Matthews’ marker “an unbelievable shot from an unbelievable player”, noting no one on either side wanted to muff a third-period chance as the tension tightened collars.

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“That’s why he’s our captain,” Pacioretty said. “(Pressure) didn’t bother them both tonight. They played a great game. Everyone will want to talk about their goals and points, but so many plays are in my mind of them winning puck battles and stick battles to seal the win.

“They bring so much to a team and it showed tonight.”

Marner, his much-forecast last game as a Leaf now given at least a 48-hour reprieve, has kept a Zen-like attitude since a terrible Game 5 that underlined his own playoff woes since 2018.

“We knew we wouldn’t get many looks, the thing we liked about it was just staying patient with our game,” Marner said. “We got a couple of big (penalty) kills to start off.”

On the Matthews topic, Marner complimented him for not letting outside forces get into his kitchen as his low playoff production was ripped coast-to-coast.

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“It’s what you love to see,” Marner said. “There’s a lot of trust in that room.”

KNIES NEEDS RECOVERY

Don’t expect secretive coach Craig Berube to divulge anything on Knies’ lower-body injury that had him grimacing on the bench between the breaks in shifts he was given.

It looked like his hip or thigh took the worst of a reverse hit by 6-foot-6 Florida defenceman Niko Mikkola in the first period. But Knies came back out for the second period and kept conversing with Berube to assure him he could play limited shifts. The coach moved Pacioretty or Bobby McMann into the left wing spot on the top line.

Unlike a few bottom-six forwards who have been in and out — Calle Jarnkrok and Pontus Holmberg returned for Game 6 after a night off in favour of David Kampf and Nick Robertson — power forward Knies would be a huge loss.

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Berube said he couldn’t answer whether Knies plays Sunday. The Leafs overnighted in Florida.

“I used him in situational play down the stretch, if he was good to go, understanding where he was at,” Berube said

THE WOLL WAS SOUND

From a five-goal hook in Game 5 to 22 saves and his first career post-season shutout, Woll has set himself up to finish the series, even if Anthony Stolarz makes a miracle comeback from his suspected head injury.

Then again, elimination contests have become old hat for St. Louis native Woll, who owns a record of 4-1 and a .958 save percentage in such games, twice beating Florida, counting a 2023 win, twice extending the Leafs against Boston last spring.

“We weren’t worried about him for one second,” insisted McMann. “He was just solid all the way through, square to pucks, no rebounds, sliding across for back doors, he was all over it tonight.”

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Now it’s a chance in Woll’s first Game 7, which has proven to be the witching hour for Toronto playoff hopes. James Reimer, Frederik Andersen, Jack Campbell and Ilya Samsonov have all preceded him losing at least once in that scenario.

Until Friday, the Leafs had not enjoyed a second-round shutout since Curtis Joseph against the Ottawa Senators in 2002.

“(Game 5) was just one game. You play a lot of games and that’s a skill in itself,” Woll said of staying positive. “A lot of work goes into being just where you are. You have to get out of your own way, it is something I’ve learned. It’s what the best competitors are able to do and just let it flow through them.

“The biggest thing I’m feeling now is the confidence in our group.”

Lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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