No. 3: Goaltending
I don’t know about you but when Game 1 of the playoffs start, I have no idea who’s starting for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
You could make the argument for both goalies, although logically it should be Ilya Samsonov right?
Samsonov has the better stats and is playing better, but Matt Murray’s playoff experience makes him a viable option too. If you’re Sheldon Keefe, what are you going to do?
Are you going to go with the hotter goalie or the guy with experience?
That decision is going to be the biggest one that Keefe has had to face thus far as a coach and if he makes the wrong decision, the Leafs are done.
Also, although Murray has fantastic previous playoff stats, why should we assume he just plays great again this year?
As for Samsonov, why should we assume he’s any good in the playoffs too? He has very little experience in big games, so that inexperience mixed with Murray’s tough play could really hurt them.
We’ll see what happens but their goaltending could prove to be a bigger hurdle than we expect this postseason.