'Almost The Hakuna Matata Kind Of Motto': Ryan Reaves, Maple Leafs Not Worried About Opening Series Loss to Bruins Ahead of Crucial Game 2
If there's anything the Maple Leafs know how to do, it's how to bounce back.
Toronto's 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday was something the team has experienced before in the postseason. And what did they do following it? They came back, and, also, eventually won their first playoff series since 2004.
The Maple Leafs fell 7-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening game of their first-round series last year. Following the loss, Toronto turned around and won the next three games.
That mentality, which contributed to helping them win Game 2 last spring, remains this year.
"It's one game. I mean I don't like to look in the past but we didn't like our first game last year in the first round and we bounced back in the second game and throughout the regular season we've done the same thing," said Jake McCabe on Sunday.
"So you can't sit here and hang your head. You've got to get ready for the next night. It's a long series."
Ryan Reaves was brought in by Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving to bring "piss and vinegar," while also being a vocal player in Toronto's dressing room. He's played 109 postseason games and provided a message similar to McCabe ahead of Game 2 on Monday.
"[It's] almost the Akuna Matata kind of motto. You can't be worried about what happened in the past. You just got to look forward and I think that's what the script is going to do."
Toronto's gone through a lot this season. They've lost Mitch Marner for several weeks with an injury. Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi — two key additions for the Maple Leafs last summer —struggled out of the gate but found their footing. Ilya Samsonov was placed on waivers and spent time in the AHL.
However, the team has found a way to come out of each of those scenarios on the positive side.
"We've done it all year. We've had stretches where we couldn't win a couple games, we bounced back and strung a lot together," said Reaves on Sunday. "We've had games where we got absolutely waxed and came back the next day really strong. So I'm not worried about the bounce back. It's going to be there [Monday]. We've just got to put it on the ice."
McCabe said the mood around the team on Sunday was "great" and that they're eager to get Game 2 going.
"It's a long series. We've bounced back all year so I don't see why we can't do it again."
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was critical — especially of Domi, who took an "undisciplined" slashing penalty in the second period — of the team on Saturday night following the loss to Boston.
But the page is turned. All he and Toronto can do, at this point, is look ahead to the task in front of them: Game 2 against the Bruins on Monday in a deafening TD Garden.
"It's playoff series. You've got to be able to bounce back. You've got to be able to move on and, you know, you make your adjustments and you get back at it. That's really it. I mean, you can't get too worked up about it.
"Whether the game finishes the way it did last night or whether we lose the game in overtime, we're still down 1-0. So you've got to be able to deal with it. We've been through this and we've bounced back well. We have an opportunity to do that again tomorrow."
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