Maybe more so than the other Leafs stars, he’s been the one who, at times, has looked the least like himself in the playoffs. Sheldon Keefe called it the best effort - in terms of actual effort and determination - the Leafs have had all season. “We were challenged to leave it all out there, and I think we did that,” Woll said. Few (one?) opportunities off the rush, few glaring turnovers (to spark a counter attack) and very little around the juicy high-danger zones. The team in front of him didn’t give Florida much. Joseph Woll performed as well as the Leafs could have hoped in his NHL playoff debut. That and similar performances from Nylander, who scored a goal and played with force. That’s the Marner the Leafs need, desperately, if they’re to somehow claw their way back against the Panthers. ![]() The Leafs won 70 percent of the expected goals when Marner was on the ice. His line still wasn’t quite a juggernaut but, crucially, found the scoreboard and increasingly carried at least some of the play against an Aleksander Barkov-led Panthers top line. He was even assessed a roughing penalty for that late-game dustup with Tkachuk. He looked a lot more like Mitch Marner, more like the team’s MVP from the regular season. The tightness that seemed to overtake his sluggish performance in Game 3 evaporated. He fired the point shot that found its way through Sergei Bobrovsky for the eventual game winner, added an assist on William Nylander’s game-opening goal, threw four hits, drew a penalty and flashed more of his usual “magician” skills. Marner played 21 minutes, 23 seconds to lead the Leafs, including over three minutes on the penalty kill. It was the kind of do-everything performance the Leafs have been accustomed to getting from Marner, just not always in the postseason. Marner found both his poise and swagger in Game 4, just in time for the Maple Leafs to keep their season alive in their 2-1 win.
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