It's not hyperbole to call Wednesday's game as must-win as this Leafs core has faced over the last nine years.

And partially as a result, the defensive effort the Panthers demonstrated in that game was what they had been trying to find since the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it's what they'll shoot for again in Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).

Evan Rodrigues sustained the injury about five minutes into the third period when he took a high net near the boards from Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson away from the puck.

Still, the Maple Leafs find themselves in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round, tied 2-2 with the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers entering a crucial Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, TVAS, ESPN).

Auston Matthews still has yet to score a playoff goal against the Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs will very likely need that to change if they’re to win two of the next three games and overcome the defending Stanley Cup champions,

If the Maple Leafs are going to get out of this series and advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2002, then they need several key players to step up. Th