Former Leafs Coach Reveals the Two Issues that Cost The Leafs the Series Against the Panthers
Photo credit: Brad Penner Imagn Images
Former Leafs Associate Coach Lane Lambert shared his thoughts on the two biggest reasons the Leafs lost their second-round series against the Florida Panthers.
A passionate coach on the bench, Lambert was primarily responsible for the Leafs penalty kill, vaulting it from 23rd in the league in the 2023-2024 season to 17th this past season.
Lane Lambert Revealed the Two Things That Changed the Outcome of the Leafs-Panthers Series
Lambert felt that despite winning the first two games of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers, the injury sustained by Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 is where things began to shift before the club failed to capitalize on two two-goal leads in Game 3.
“Anthony Stolarz getting hurt, the overtime-winning goal by (Brad) Marchand in Game 3 to stop us from going up 3-0. I thought we were well prepared for what they had. Clearly, we were in a position to win, and just didn’t get it done.”
Although Joseph Woll played well in relief of Stolarz, the former second-round pick had gained the confidence of the coaching staff and players in front of him prior to his injury.
Not only that, but after not playing in 18 days, it was a difficult spot for Woll to come into and reset his focus on being the starter the rest of the series.
On top of the injury to Stolarz, the Leafs did what they always do and found a way to blow leads in a game they dominated, ultimately leading to the Panthers clawing their way back into the series in Game 3, instead of facing elimination.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
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