With hopes of finishing the job, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube is looking to his top players, including forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies, to put forth an effort that would help ensure a return trip to Ottawa for Game 6 on Thursday as unnecessary.

A year after the Toronto Maple Leafs saw their playoff hopes undone by key absences at the worst possible times, it was precisely the type of image to make the blue-and-white faithful’s stomachs churn: John Tavares splayed out on the ice,