Maple Leafs moving on with positive mindset for Game 5 against Lightning

TORONTO -- Morgan Rielly said he understands why a lopsided 7-3 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday has brought up the same questions the Toronto Maple Leafs have faced for years and are getting tired of answering.

Have they really learned? Can they actually get it done when it matters most? Do they have a killer instinct that championship teams need?
"I certainly feel like that is the case with our group, we've learned a lot, I think we've matured, but until you start to get those results that prove that it's pretty difficult to have those open conversations with people who might control that narrative or might want to say that we haven't," the Maple Leafs defenseman said after the team returned to Toronto on Monday. "They're free to do so, but it's on us to produce some results and prove that we've grown, matured and learned. I tend to believe that is the case, that we are making steps forward, but until we get the results, that will be up in the air."
Toronto has not won a Stanley Cup Playoff series since 2004 and has lost in the first round in 2017, 2018, 2019 and last season, when it surrendered a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens. In 2020, it lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5 of the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs. Lightning series coverage]
Heading into Game 5 of this best-of-7 series on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSUN, NHL LIVE, ESPN+) tied 2-2, the Maple Leafs insist that their confidence remains high and that they are concentrating on why they should still feel as though they are in a good position.
"We're not fazed by last night," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "We believe in our group."
Added Rielly, "We lose last night with an effort that we are not proud of but it's important to refocus here today. We're tied 2-2, we've got home ice so it's important we keep our focus, we keep a positive outlook, and we do what we have to do today to prepare for a big game tomorrow."
Though the series is close, the first four games, individually, have not been. Toronto won Game 1 by a 5-0 score before Tampa Bay responded with a 5-3 win in Game 2, building a 5-1 lead until allowing two goals late in the third period. The Maple Leafs won 5-2 in Game 3, building a 3-0 lead by 5:52 of the second period before a late Lightning comeback fell short. There has yet to be a lead change within a game at any point during the series.
Suffice to say the first goal has been critical in determining the direction of each game.
"[In Game 4], we had a great first shift and then [Steven Stamkos'] line came on and kind of continued that trend, and then we scored," Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said. "Having those starts is huge. You don't have to score every time, but to gain that momentum, get some zone time and some looks, is obviously the way we want to start off."
After Stamkos' goal at 1:00 made it 1-0, the Lightning built a 3-0 lead by the time Pat Maroon got around Rielly and cut across the crease at 7:58.
"In any sport, you want to get on the board first and play with the lead," Rielly said. "It's obviously very difficult to play from behind; you start to take chances you wouldn't normally take, maybe more risk than you would normally take on, but I don't think there's anything unusual going on in this series with that. Both teams have obviously put emphasis on having a good start."
The Lightning have been automatic in bouncing back, going 16-0 since the beginning of the 2020 playoffs following a loss. Coach Jon Cooper credits a lot of that resiliency to Tampa Bay's leadership: Stamkos, the captain; forwards Brayden Point; Nikita Kucherov; Alex Killorn; Hedman; defenseman Ryan McDonagh and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
"Every year is a new year," Cooper said. "I think I've mentioned this before, we've got a couple of newbies in the room that haven't been part of the playoffs, we've got guys that haven't won Cups, we've got new players that have been to the finals the past two years and didn't win. We are a new group, in saying that, our core has stayed the same. It takes a certain kind of group to be able to bounce back in adverse times."
Now it's up to the Maple Leafs to keep the focus off the disappointments of the past and come up with their own response Tuesday.
"We lost in a tough fashion on home ice [in Game 2] and then went out on the road at a time there where you could say [Game 3] is a big game at that point because you need a response and don't want to put yourself in a position to lose two on the road when you've already lost on home ice," Keefe said. "That was a huge win for us at a key time, so there's enough there for our team focusing on this season and the here and now. We have a tremendous amount of belief in our team."