Here are five takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ loss to the Panthers

• You can’t pin the loss on Joseph Woll, that would be unfair in a game that was ultimately decided in overtime. With this caveat out of the way, it was the first genuinely sub-standard start for a Leafs’ goaltender this postseason. Woll is credited with saving 0.25 goals above expected in all situations via MoneyPuck, but that may take away from the game context itself. The 26-year-old allowed a brutal goal to Jonah Gadjovich off the rush, which gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead. Tomas Nosek’s shot hit Gadjovich and trickled under Woll’s blocker and despite the change of direction, there wasn’t enough velocity on the puck to have reasonably fooled him. It was a tough break, especially considering the Maple Leafs’ electric start to the game. Woll will almost certainly start Game 4, and it would be shocking otherwise, but you have to account for an awful game which changed the tenor of the contest in some ways. At the very least, Woll secured a vote of confidence from head coach Craig Berube, post-game: “I thought he was really good. I don’t love the fourth goal, but other than that, I thought he was solid.”
• Matthew Knies is morphing into a superstar right in front of our eyes. Knies scored on the game’s opening shift, collecting a rebound from a Mitch Marner point shot that hit the post. Knies was constantly winning puck battles, and his tremendous back check effectively set up Morgan Rielly’s game-tying goal. We’ve written about Knies’ emergence several times this season, but he continues to find a new level and aside from John Tavares, you could make the argument he was the Leafs’ best forward. This could’ve been viewed as the Matthew Knies Game if the Leafs held on for victory and once again, he continues to match Matthews and Marner stride for stride — you could make a strong argument that he’s been the best player on Toronto’s top line through three games.
• On that note: Auston Matthews is certainly paid to score goals, but he’s also contributing in every aspect of the game. There’s this idea that being able to shake Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart is an easy, rote task, as opposed to trying to win minutes against two Selke finalists. Matthews was productive on the offensive side of the puck with two primary assists, and he was stellar defensively, highlighted by a huge clearance to keep the tie intact in the dying seconds of the third period. The jokes about Matthews are unfair and unreasonable as well: if he’s a better-scoring version of Barkov or Anze Kopitar, players who have won it all before, this still bodes well for the Leafs’ captain. And once the goals arrive, it may render some of the banter around him null and void.
• Chris Tanev was outstanding in a losing effort and continued to show why he’s the Leafs’ most reliable all-around defenceman. Tanev was getting in shooting lanes, facilitating exits, winning board battles, and there was palpable relief when he returned to the game after missing a few shifts during the third period. Berube indicated that Tanev was dealing with an equipment issue, post-game. “It was not from a hit. There was no real reason; it was something to do with equipment. It was nothing. He wasn’t hurt or anything,” Berube said of Tanev. It’s a welcome relief, and Berube may be inclined to give Tanev even more ice-time for Game 4.
• This was Brandon Carlo’s worst game of the playoffs, but he’s been in enough deep playoff runs to shake it off. Carlo was on the ice for three goals allowed, and he took an inopportune penalty in the first period. It wasn’t all bad, as Carlo tried in vain to keep Sam Reinhart’s goal off the line, but after an extensive review, it counted. During Marchand’s game-winning goal, Carlo was standing in no man’s land without any real contest. It was a fascinating night in some respects as Carlo’s partner, Morgan Rielly, had a more polarizing game. Carlo lost a board battle to Aleksander Barkov, who broke free and then banked a puck off Rielly’s stick and in for the Panthers’ first goal of the game. Rielly was considered at fault on the play by many, but both defencemen should take the blame there and the Leafs’ longest-tenured player sent the game to overtime. This will be something that Carlo will surely put behind him, and these points would be mere footnotes if the Leafs won Game 3.

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