Alright, it’s time to try this all over again.

Understandably so, the team was ripped to shreds in the media over the past day and a half. Tonight, they have a chance to rally and prove that they’re in-fact different.

With all that in mind, we kicked off the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take by discussing two teams that properly demonstrated how to close out a series: Washington and Florida. The Panthers barely broke a sweat on route to ousting the rival Bolts in five games. The defending champs now await the winner of Leafs/Sens. Yeah, that’s what’s waiting for Toronto if they can exercise some demons tonight.

Brought to you by RVezy, we previewed Game 6. Anthony Stolarz will get the call in goal, and it doesn’t look like the Leafs will be making any lineup changes. Furthermore, Max Pacioretty took line rushes at the morning skate with John Tavares and William Nylander, so it appears that trio will be a thing —at least to start Game 6. Meantime, there’s been a lot of focus on the Core Four. They were dreadful in Game 5. Bottom line: If Toronto’s going to win tonight, they need their big boys to step up. Of note, today’s William Nylander’s 29^th birthday, so don’t be surprised if the birthday boy pops off. He needs it —especially after that awful back-check on the Dylan Cozens shorthanded goal the other night. Since 2017, the Leafs are 1-13 in potential series clinching games. In those 14 games, they’re 1-for-31 on the power play. Remarkable stuff.

Then, thanks to GRETA BAR YYZ, Paul Bissonnette graced us with his presence to weigh in on Game 6. Surprisingly, he remains very confident, even going as far as to predict a 5-2 Maple Leafs win. Having said that, Biz did call out the big boys —specifically Mitch Marner. He wants less whining and more playing. As a group, the Leafs need to be better tonight, and Biz thinks they will get the job done. He’s confident in Chief, who he worked with on the TNT panel for a bit last season.

After that, Jackie Redmond stopped by from the Canadian Tire Centre for a scene setter. Like Biz, Jackie also predicted a Leafs win. Yes, there’s some PTSD from Game 5, but in the long run, she still believes in this team. We talked mood, vibe, Core Four, and potential x-factors for tonight’s game. Lastly, we got the Ottawa perspective. Linus Ullmark is starting to heat up. The Leafs need to get to the Swedish netminder early.

Let’s hope it’s a joyous Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Join us at 11 AM ET for a full recap of Game 6. We’ll either be teeing up a Game 7 or looking ahead to Leafs/Panthers.

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