Talking about a series against Boston is a trigger sentence for most Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
Can you blame them? The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered one of the most embarrassing collapses at the hands of the Boston Bruins in game seven of the 2013 first round, and they suffered yet another elimination to the Bruins last season. Personally, I think the game seven collapse was a blessing in disguise, but that’s a piece for another time.
With the resume the Leafs have against the Bruins in the postseason, you can imagine the dread that came upon Leafs fans once it became apparent that they would be facing off against the Bullies from Beantown in the first round once again. The Leafs got better as a team, but the Bruins are still a team that’s built with a core that knows what it takes to win. They aren’t a team that you can fall asleep on, and given the fact that there were many games this season where the Leafs only decided to show up to play for half of the game, it seemed like a horrible combination.
But this year is different from last year.
I’m not going to use the 2013 matchup as a comparable because both rosters have been almost entirely revamped, but between this year and last year, the Maple Leafs look much, much stronger.
The main difference I picked out between these two matchups was the fact that last year, the Bruins were in the driver’s seat for almost the entirety of the series. The Leafs headed to Boston for game five and scraped away with a win, then got the win back at home in game six as well. And game seven, well, we all know what happened.
The series was simple. Boston got ahead early and they were the better team all around over the course of the series. This year? Not so much. The Leafs have been the better team in all but one game. They’re getting scoring from all around the lineup. They aren’t trying to beat Boston at their game but rather playing their own game and using their speed to their advantage. And this year, they’re heading to game six in Toronto with a chance to take the series rather than fighting for their lives.
Oh, and Auston Matthews decided enough was enough with the stupid narrative from fans and opposing media that he disappears in the playoffs. He’s scored three goals and put up five points in his last three games.
And another thing? The Maple Leafs’ fourth line of Trevor Moore, Frederik Gauthier, and Tyler Ennis has been incredible. Everybody claims that your bottom six has to be stockpiled with grit and size to be effective in the playoffs, and then you’ve got Moore and Ennis standing at 5’10 apiece but hitting like they’re 6’4 and using speed to propel their games. Even Gauthier, while standing at 6’5, isn’t physical at all. But he’s been one of their best forwards at driving possession. And it’s even gotten to the point where Nikita Zaitsev has been solid throughout the series despite being awful all season long.
I think I’ve said just about enough to make my point. The Leafs look much, MUCH better this time around. Everything from their biggest stars showing up to their defensive game being solid to Frederik Andersen playing like the elite goaltender he is. Heading back home for game six with a chance to take the first round, I’m feeling very good about the Buds’ chances. All they need to do to finally defeat the Bruins and move on to the second round is to keep their foot on the gas and play their own game the best that they can.
If they can do this, then we will be seeing second round Leafs playoff hockey.