Maple Leafs "won't get carried away" as 19-year NHL Play-Off drought almost over

25 April 2023 , 18:23

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Sheldon Keefe is making sure that his team doesn't get "carried away" (Image: Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has reminded his players not to get carried away after a stunning turnaround in game four against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Leafs are once again on the brink of winning a first-round Play-Off series after a 5-4 overtime win against the Lightning on Monday night, although they've been in this situation many times before over the last two decades. The Leafs are now 3-1 up in the series against the Lightning, but they haven't advanced to the second-round since the 2003/04 season.

Securing that fourth win of the series continues to be the stumbling block for the Leafs in recent history, although they look certain to break the curse this year as they host the next two games (if needed) in Toronto. But Keefe has reminded his stars not to get carried away, and finish the job.

"Let's not get carried away here," head coach Keefe said. "We've got a tough task here to finish off this series. We're going to see a very important game coming up.

"I hope our guys take that and recognise that, let's keep pushing here. The team we beat here tonight, they are where they are because they very rarely lose two in a row, and they obviously don't lose three in a row very often.

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"Winning that fourth one is going to be even harder. That's not lost on us. We'll make sure our group is ready and that our message is passed on that we've got to continue to be better."

Keefe is keen to make sure that they Play-Off series win drought ends in Toronto (Toronto Maple Leafs / YouTube)

It looked certain that the series would be tied at 2-2 as the Lightning stormed into a 4-1 lead, and as Auston Matthews scored with 11 minutes to go it seemed to be just a consolation goal at the time. But Matthews then grabbed another shortly after, before defenceman Morgan Rielly tied things up before the end of regulation.

Things began tense in overtime, with so much to gain but so much to lose for both sides out on the ice. But the Leafs took advantage of the power-play as Alexander Kerfoot redirected a shot to hand the Canadian side a shock win, and a huge advantage in the tie.

Despite being hailed as the hero on the day, Matthews also remained cool, as he echoed Keefe's thoughts after the game. "The fourth one is obviously the toughest one," Matthews said.

"We know who we're up against and what they've accomplished, especially in the past couple of years. So this one is to enjoy tonight, then we have a couple of days to recharge and rest and refocus because we know they're going to be ready to come at us."

Joseph McBride