Ryan Reaves has a message for Leafs' doubters

The Toronto Maple Leafs have no choice but to win three straight games against their Original 6 rival Boston Bruins, who have them on the ropes after having taken three of the four games so far in their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoff series. 

Should the Leafs falter, it would once again be a maddeningly frustrating early exit from the postseason and could result in major changes to the franchise, both on the ice and potentially even in the front office. But until then, they're still alive, and enforcer Ryan Reaves wants to make sure everyone is aware of that.

"Not a single guy is ready to pack his bags and go home," Reaves said. "Summer is not around the corner for us. Everyone believes we can come back. I certainly do. We've won three in a row this season before, so it's not something we can't do."

Reaves then alluded to last year's collapse in the postseason by the Bruins, as they lost three in a row to the Florida Panthers after having enjoyed a 3-1 series lead as they currently do over Toronto.

"(The Bruins) gave up a 3-1 lead last year," Reaves said. "Sports is a crazy thing. We've all seen some crazy comebacks."

You can bet that last year's shocking loss to Florida is in Boston's minds, as it was exactly one year ago today that Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe stunned the hockey world with his overtime tally in Game 7 at TD Garden, eliminating the Bruins after they won a record 65 games during the regular season. 

But are the Bruins better prepared this time to avoid a disastrous finish? The Leafs certainly hope so. We'll find out tonight as the two teams reconvene for Game 5 of their series in Boston starting at 7:00 PM EST. 

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