Maple Leafs defend play of Justin Holl prior to Game 5 vs. Lightning

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe will return to the same lineup from Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a pivotal Game 5 Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Arena.

Keefe altered things slightly at the morning skate, moving Michael Bunting back up to his usual spot on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Bunting had been on the fourth line Sunday night in a game the Leafs lost 7-3, and where Keefe moved players around to reflect a sub-par performance by the group.

Ondřej Kaše will play on the fourth line with Colin Blackwell at centre and Jason Spezza on the wing. Keefe had been pondering whether to insert either Wayne Simmonds or Kyle Clifford on the fourth line for Game 5. But the Leafs coach stuck with speed and puck possession over the gritty Simmonds and Clifford.

“We decided to go with the same look, but with a little different look (with Bunting back on the top line) on the one forward line, as the best way for us to go,” Keefe said, with the best-of-seven series tied at 2-2.

Keefe also kept his defensive pairings intact, which meant sticking with Justin Holl in the third pairing with Mark Giordano. Holl took heat after Game 4, when a giveaway led to the opening goal.

The winning team in each game of the four games in the series so far has scored the game’s opening goal. There have been no lead changes in the series so far.

Despite the criticism, Keefe said Holl had “his best game of the two games he’s played” in Game 4.

“He’s coming off his best game that he’s played for us, so for that and a lot of reasons, we’ll keep going with (Holl),” Keefe said.

Holl was also backed by his teammates, including Mitch Marner, who said “he (Holl) doesn’t get the love he deserves.”

Keefe also defended John Tavares’s performance in the series. The captain has two assists in the four games and 16 goals the Leafs have scored. Tavares has also been heavily targeted in the criticism of the Leafs performance in this series.

“It’s been the same thing all season long,” Keefe said about Tavares.

“You get a lot of attention, but in reality, we’ve played four hockey games. You want everyone rolling, but it’s not the reality of how the league works. John has worked very hard and he’s done all the little things we’ve asked him to do. As the series goes along, he will get opportunities (to score). His time is coming and that’s a good sign for us.”

Here’s the Leafs lines from the morning skate Tuesday:

Bunting-Matthews-Marner

Kerfoot-Tavares-Mikheyev

Nylander-Kämpf-Engvall

Spezza-Blackwell-Kaše

Defensive pairings

Rielly-Lyubushkin

Muzzin-Brodie

Giordano-Holl

Campbell starts in goal, Källgren is the back up

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