LEAFS NOTES: Playoff-empowered Ryan Reaves believes in a bounce-back against Boston
Remember earlier this season, when doubt was cast if Ryan Reaves would even get into a playoff series for Toronto or, if so, have a meaningful part?
Given how the 36-year-old gradually galvanized into a fourth-line contributor in the second half and the Leafs drew Boston in the first round, he’s taken on a more significant role.
While he’d want Saturday’s first Bruins goal back when he went to “double down” on a big hit in enemy territory and was culpable on the fateful 2-on-1 rush that produced the first Boston goal, he assisted on centre David Kampf’s lone Leafs marker. His line, with Connor Dewar, showed some resistance to an otherwise relentless wave of black and gold.
“The physicality was right,” Reaves said on Sunday of the team effort to the media at the team’s Boston hotel. “I thought for the most part in the scrums, we were there. It was the (careless) sticks and the penalties that really didn’t have an impact on the play that we have to eliminate.
I’m not worried about the bounce-back (in Monday’s Game 2), it’s going to be there, we just have to put it on the ice.
“We’ve done a lot of talking, I did a little yesterday. It’s the (Lion King) Hakuna Matata motto. You can’t be worried about the past and I think that’s what the script is going to do.”
LEAD THEM TO WATER
There is no burying the lead in this story.
The Leafs have not held any kind of scoreboard advantage on the Bruins this season — early, late, regulation or overtime — in four scheduled games this season and now 60 minutes of playoffs.
Last time Toronto enjoyed being in front was more than a year ago, April 6 at the end of the ‘22-23 season, when it broke a scoreless game in the second period, an eventual 2-1 extra time defeat in Boston. The Leafs have trailed in every match since, outscored 6-0 in the first period.
