This is where the Toronto Maple Leafs try to change the ending.
After beating the Bruins in back-to-back elimination games to force their first-round playoff series to the limit – just like they did in 2013 – the Maple
Leafs are hoping to finish the job on Wednesday in Game 7 in Boston.
That’s something they couldn’t do five years ago
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three-goal, third-period deficit and lose a Stanley Cup playoff game.
”We’ve got some more work to do,” said goalie Frederik Andersen, who stopped 32 of 33 shots in Game 6 on Monday to help Toronto win 3-1 and prolong its
season.
”It’s the same kind of pressure we’ve felt these last two games, where we’ve been facing elimination,” he said. ”Game 7 should be the same. It’s something
that you all dream of – those big moments – and you also want to perform.”
So do the Bruins, who have struggled to put away Toronto for the second consecutive time. In ’13, the Maple Leafs won two straight and then opened a 4-1
lead in the third period of Game 7, but Boston scored a pair of goals 31 seconds
apart in the final 2 minutes of regulation before winning in overtime.
Patrice Bergeron, who scored the game-winner, is one of seven Bruins remaining from that team, compared with four players wearing Toronto
jerseys.
”It’s nice to have those guys,” said Boston forward David Pastrnak, who had four goals and five assists in the first two games of the series this year but
only two assists since. ”They’ve been here a
bunch
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Jersey , so they know what to expect. It’s good for our young guys to have
them around.”
The winner of Wednesday night’s game will play Tampa Bay, which eliminated New Jersey in five games. The Lightning will host the first two games,
regardless of which opponent advances.
”I don’t think there’s any panic at all in this group,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Toronto feels the same way.
”We think we’re going to win,” Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. ”We’ve thought that all along, and we’ve crawled our way back and now we have the
opportunity of a lifetime. This is where you want to be.”
PRESSURE
Both teams paid their respects to the victims of the rental van attack in Toronto that killed 10 people and injured 15 more. There was a moment of silence
before Monday night’s game, and Babcock opened his postgame remarks by sending
support to those affected. Asked on Tuesday about the pressure his team faces
heading into a winner-take-all game, Cassidy said he has tried to keep things in
perspective.
”Listen, yesterday in Toronto, the first-responders, they were under pressure. That’s pressure to me, that’s real-life pressure,” he said. ”This is a
game that players dream about being in this situation, Game
7
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Jersey , playing road hockey in a small town in Canada or a big city in
the United States or somewhere in between. That’s what it’s all about. … Now
you’ve got to go out and embrace it.”
GAME 7 HISTORY
The Bruins are 13-12 in Game 7s, with a 12-8 record at home. Toronto is 12-10 and 5-9 on the road. Boston is 2-1 in Game 7s against Toronto, including 2013.
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara will be playing in his 12th career Game 7 – the
most for any active player, and just one shy of the record held by Patrick Roy
and Scott Stevens.
ROUND TWO
The Capitals and Penguins await the start of the second round, when they will play each other for the third straight postseason. Pittsburgh is 9-1 all-time in
playoff series against Washington.
In the West, the pairings are Vegas against San Jose and Winnipeg against Nashville.
—
Bob Quinn has spent two years reshaping the Detroit Lions' roster and staff, bringing in players and coaches he knew from their years together with the New
England Patriots.
The Lions have won nine games in each of the past two seasons, which wasn't enough for Jim Caldwell to keep his job. Quinn believes they will be drafting
from a position of strength.
"With the way the roster is today, I don't think I'm in a position to reach for any position of so-called need," Quinn insisted. "I'm not eliminating any
position."
The Lions would stun everyone if they took a quarterback No. 20 overall Thursday night with many millions invested in Matthew Stafford, or a wide
receiver with more than a few options on the team. They could justify bolstering
coach Matt Patricia's first team at any other position, especially defensive end
and offensive guard.
UP FRONT
The Lions were last in the league in rushing and have been among the NFL's worst offensively on the ground in recent years. Even if they made a bold move
to trade up and select Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, it may not matter
if the offensive line doesn't improve. There seem to be four solid blockers:
tackles Taylor Decker and Ricky Wagner, guard T.J. Lang and center Graham
Glasgow. The team's fifth
option
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York Jets didn't want to re-sign him.
That may all add up to Detroit drafting a guard or center in the first round.
"I have no problem taking an interior offensive lineman," Quinn said.
ON THE EDGE
Detroit desperately needs help at defensive end because Ezekiel Ansah is playing on a franchise tag, possibly in his last year with the team. Quinn plans
to make picks based on what the team will need up to 18 months away.
"We kind of look that far, knowing that guys are going to be unrestricted free agents after this year, but also the following year," Quinn said. "There's
a really good balance there that we have to talk about and kind of envision our
needs not just for today, but in the years ahead."
The other options at defensive end such as Anthony Zettel and Kerry Hyder, who missed all of last season with an Achilles tendon injury, don't generate
much excitement.
MAYBE LATER
Quinn may choose a running back in a later round, hoping to find a flyer. He did add another former Patriot, LeGarrette Blount, to the position to compete
with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick.
"If we had to go play a football game today, I think we have enough running backs to be
competitive
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SAME PAGE
Patricia is an NFL head coach for the first time entering the draft, but he has a lot of experience with Quinn because they worked together with the
Patriots for a dozen years.
"I had heard about Matt from Bob for two years before we had the chance to meet," Lions president Rod Wood said, sitting between Quinn and Patricia at a
season ticket holders gathering. "I told him recently, 'I think he undersold
him, and he was selling him.' The relationship is strong, the language they
speak, the trust. The ability I think to build the team through kind of one
long-term vision of what we're going to be about.
"This is probably the first time I've sat between them since they've been in town. They're together all the time."
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
Detroit appeared to reach for tight end Eric Ebron at No. 10 overall in 2014. This offseason, the team acknowledged the mistake when it cut him. The Lions
would have been better off with any of the players taking immediately after
Ebron: offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and defensive
tackle Aaron Donald. Quinn landed a late-round gem last season, selecting
All-Pro punt returner Jamal Agnew in the fifth
round.
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