simplest things. Basically, get out of your own head and go play the game you

BOSTON — Toronto coach Mike Babcock thinks his Maple Leafs should cherish the chance to play in Wednesday night’s Game 7 of their first-round series with the Boston Bruins.
“You’re a kid playing outside road hockey Dallas Goedert Jersey , it’s the seventh game and you’re scoring a winning goal in overtime,” Babcock said after his Leafs won their second straight and evened the series with a 3-1 victory in Toronto on Monday night.
“That’s just the way it was your whole life,” he continued. “No one else in hockey is playing right now, they’re all stopped and watching and that’s always some, but I think just the opportunity, you get to go on. I think there’s obviously a lot on the line that way and we’d like to play in the next round, Boston wants to play in the next round, something’s got to give. We’re excited for the opportunity and enjoy the rest of today. Get ready tomorrow.
“…Let’s embrace it.”
The Boston Red Sox dedicated the 2013 season to being “Boston Strong.” Tuesday, Toronto joined the long list of cities attacked in some way when a van jumped a curb and mowed people down. The Leafs paid the proper tribute to the victims before the game Kyle Long Jersey Youth , and then rode Frederick Andersen to the win.
Does it carry over in Game 7?
The winner faces the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bruins surrendering the top spot in the conference with a shaky finish to the regular season.
Also in 2013, the Maple Leafs, who haven’t won a playoff series since 2004, led the Bruins 4-1 late in Game 7 and wound up losing in overtime. Tuukka Rask gave up four goals on 28 shots and was not brilliant in that game and his record in elimination games is 5-11, 1-2 in Game 7s.
Tim Thomas won three seventh games and led the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup. Rask lost to Philadelphia in 2010 and to Washington in 2012.
He was poor in Game 5 and guaranteed he’d be better in Game 6. He was, keeping his team in the game in the third period.
His teammates were not as good. The top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, on fire with 20 combined points in the two wins that started the series Cheap Josh Allen Jersey , have been scoreless in the last two games (plus Game 3) — Bergeron was out of Game 5 with an upper-body injury and being ineffective in Monday night’s game.
The trio has no points and is a combined minus-16 in the Bruins’ three series losses.
“It’s always how it should be. When you’ve lived it, you want to share that experience,” Bergeron said of playing in another Game 7 (he scored the tying and winning goals in the 2013 comeback). “We have some amazing young players in this locker room and I know they’re going to step up. That’s the approach that we have.
“Everyone just needs to go out there and play and step up their game up and rely on everybody else to do the same. Do your job, I guess, is kind of the cliche, but that’s how you have to approach (a Game 7).”
Andersen, 10-1-0 lifetime against the Bruins coming into these playoffs, shook off a shaky start in the series and has been great since.
The Bruins are trying to win their first playoff series since 2014.
Nick Foles used the bye week to go back to basics.
The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) are the first No. 1 seed to open the playoffs as an underdog mainly because Foles is the starting quarterback instead of Carson Wentz.
But Foles hasn’t lost confidence despite public perception that he can’t lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl, or even a victory over the Atlanta Falcons (11-6) on Saturday in the divisional round.
”It’s just going out there and playing and staying in the zone and trusting my instincts Deion Sanders Jersey Youth ,” Foles said.
”I’ve played this game a long time. There’s a reason I’ve been able to do what I’ve been able to do. When I play my best and I’m most comfortable, I just go out there and play.”
Foles has had success against defenses similar to Atlanta’s. The Falcons employ a Cover-3 scheme as their base defense. The three deep zones are covered by two cornerbacks and the free safety. The Seahawks have excelled at it for several years. Of course, they have a world-class secondary.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl four years ago.
Foles has never faced Quinn, but he beat the Jaguars in 2014 with the Eagles and in 2016 with the Chiefs. He beat the Seahawks in 2015 with St. Louis. Gus Bradley, who preceded Quinn as Seattle’s defensive coordinator, was Jacksonville’s coach in both games against Foles.
Foles is 65 of 105 (61.9 percent) for 842 yards with five touchdowns passes and one interceptions in those three games against Cover-3 defenses.
”You know where they are going to be. That’s the thing with this defense,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. ”They play with a lot of confidence. It’s an aggressive style. It’s fast flow and they are not going to pull any punches.
”They are not going to try to trick you or do anything to get in your head or anything like that. It’s just line up and try to beat us.”
The Falcons don’t blitz much but still get pressure on quarterbacks. They tied for 13th in the league with 39 sacks. Adrian Clayborn led the way with 9+ sacks, including six in one game against the Cowboys.
Atlanta allowed 17.5 points per game over the final six games and then shut down the league’s highest-scoring offense in a 26-13 win at the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card game.
”This defense is much improved over the course of the season,” Pederson said. ”You saw it against the Rams. They are fast. They are flying to the football.
”Secondary is aggressive. Guys know how to cover. A lot of single-high. They are going to challenge our receivers and that’s what you’re seeing on tape. It’s a quality defense Authentic Nick Chubb Jersey , but that’s what we expect this time of year.”
Foles played well immediately after Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14. He was 20 of 48 for 279 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in his first five quarters versus 23 of 49 for 202 yards with one TD and two picks in the last five quarters.
”I haven’t executed as well as I wanted to the past couple of weeks, but I go out there and play and having this time to self-scout, go through practice, you realize just go out there and play,” Foles said.
”Maybe I wasn’t doing that as much those last couple of games. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes, the hardest things are the simplest things. Basically, get out of your own head and go play the game you know how to play.”
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