The Toronto Maple Leafs, back against the wall, are down to their final strike. It won’t get any easier playing in Florida for Game 4 while trying to avoid being swept at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Meanwhile, remember when the Edmonton Oilers looked like the vastly superior team in Game 2 against Vegas Golden Knights? Vegas did a great job of extinguishing any momentum Edmonton could generate in Game 3. Could they take a stranglehold in Game 4?
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It’s time for picks.
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their straight-up picks. You’ll find picks, coverage and the latest odds here. Our in-depth NHL coverage is linked below the picks.
All odds from BetMGM and update live.
Game 4 – Maple Leafs at Panthers
Florida leads 3-0
7 p.m. on ESPN, SN, CBC
You’ve seen the stat by now. You, dear reader, have as many goals as the Leafs’ core four (Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Mitch Marner) through three games in their second-round series against the Panthers. There’s no way that sticks. Right? Even then, the mountain is tough to climb. Joseph Woll, not Ilya Samsonov, will start Game 4 as the Russian netminder nurses an injury. But hey, the Leafs don’t care what we have to say! They’re focused on themselves, apparently. They hope to be the fifth team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit and the first since the 2014 Los Angeles Kings to do it. They’re in for a long summer of nonstop questions and potential changes if they fail to win tomorrow.
The Panthers are on the verge of their first-ever sweep in franchise history. They’ve earned it by being the better team in each game they’ve played, even if a Win-O-Meter might suggest otherwise. But they can’t afford to fall asleep at the wheel either. They’ll need Sergei Bobrovsky to continue his stellar run of form. He hasn’t allowed more than two goals in each of his appearances this series and has played at a .938 rate. The Leafs are favoured because they’re too talented just to be swept, but the Panthers weren’t supposed to be in this position, to begin with.
Game 4 – Golden Knights at Oilers
Vegas leads 2-1
10 p.m. on ESPN, SN, CBC
You can’t say there haven’t been goals aplenty for both teams. Both teams have even secured blowout wins over the other. Vegas solved Stuart Skinner and played well despite losing Laurent Brossoit to injury. Adin Hill did his part in a 24-save performance, but more pressure will be applied on him to keep the Golden Knights in it if he’s called upon for Game 4. And if he can’t go, they have Stanley Cup champion goaltender Jonathan Quick waiting in the wings. Jack Eichel has had two multi-point efforts in the series and could be due for a third if the Oilers don’t contain him. The Golden Knights don’t have the same firepower the Oilers have and they know that. But it hasn’t dampened their confidence, clearly.
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Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Oilers need scoring up and down the lineup, and a way to refresh things is to split up Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. This time around, Zach Hyman getting banged against the Golden Knights might facilitate things. Oilers can’t afford to have the offence die out as they did in Game 3. Even their power play didn’t click, but the Golden Knights deserve credit for limiting their chances. Edmonton was 0-for-2 on the power play on Monday. So, will keeping their superstars apart work? It’s a strategy to consider.
(Top photo: Eliot J. Schechter / NHLI via Getty Images)