Brandon Carlo was familiar with eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs while he was a member of the Boston Bruins.
But now the defenseman is on the other side after being traded to Toronto at this year’s trade deadline.
The Maple Leafs were pushed to the brink of elimination in an ugly 6-1 Game 5 loss to the Florida Panthers that saw the Maple Leafs getting booed off the ice and fans filtering out of Scotiabank Arena early.
Despite blowing a 2-0 series lead and now go to Florida in a must-win situation, Carlo is confident despite the Maple Leafs’ history.
“I think this group as a collective whole is a very tight-knit group. This is a special group, as well. I have the utmost faith that these guys are ready to take the next step,” Carlo told reporters on Thursday. “I have a lot of belief in this group and that hasn’t changed one bit.”
While the Maple Leafs have made the playoffs every year since 2017, they’ve won just two series and have yet to advance beyond the second round during that time. While Carlo was with the Bruins, they eliminated the Leafs three of the eight times they appeared in the postseason — including last year.
Toronto will try to force a Game 7 when the series shifts back to Florida on Friday night.