"It feels like our whole team game has been a little bit better. It's funny when you get some power-play goals. It brings some life to the group. You want the best for your teammates and want them to succeed every time, but sometimes, you go through stretches where it felt like we were having a power play, and nothing was going to come of it. When you get three, it brings some life to the group and improves our overall five-on-five play even."
"It is just the position we're in. It is obviously unfortunate when you lose guys, especially key players, but it is an opportunity for other guys to step up. Sometimes, that works in your favour. Guys get confidence from playing a bigger role, and they bring some life to the group. You just try to find the positives in a tough situation."
"We are just skating better. Some things structurally have been a little more sound for us, and it has allowed our game to speed up so we can utilize the skill sets we have. There is continuity building from line to line and pairing to pairing. And we've had great goaltending here."
Multiple Leafs players are unavailable: Chris Tanev, William Nylander, Dakota Joshua, and Auston Matthews listed as a game-time decision. The team had been collecting points and nearly fully healthy before these injuries struck ahead of a tightly contested Eastern Conference matchup. Troy Stecher credited recent power-play scoring for lifting team energy, improving five-on-five play, and warned against complacency given the importance of late-season points. Stecher called injuries an opportunity for others to step up and boost confidence. John Tavares cited improved skating, more sound structure, increased speed, line and pairing continuity, and strong goaltending as drivers of recent improvement.
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