from Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star,

But now there are so many dead spots, so many holes. Boston’s a powerhouse, but the Leafs really thought they could skate with them, play with them. And if this series doesn’t turn in Game 3, then it almost certainly won’t turn at all, and that’s where the next set of questions comes in. Team president Brendan Shanahan puts a lot of faith in how players deliver in the playoffs and suddenly this Leafs team isn’t just losing, it’s getting embarrassed.

Some answers are easy, some are not. Zaitsev’s seven-year contract was always a puzzlement — he showed he could skate, and the rest of his game was easily picked apart, if you looked. Hainsey did good work in the playoffs for Pittsburgh last year; he looks worn. Leo Komarov, too. Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk — they are not irreplaceable.

So who steps forward? Who weathers the storm? Who can hang with Boston’s real killers? Who can turn a shift, turn a period, turn a game? Who can pull this team out of its look-at-them, what-do-we-do funk. The Leafs didn’t lose a game all season by four goals until it happened in Game 1 and in Game 2. Nazem Kadri is sitting somewhere watching, and Boston is making playoff hockey look both easy and fun. This series isn’t over, but it’s more than halfway there.

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