The Toronto Maple Leafs have clinched a playoff spot for the seventh straight season. However, there is still plenty of work to do.
With the Ottawa Senators’ victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are officially in the 2023 NHL playoffs.
The Leafs have nine games left in the regular season before their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is looking more and more like the they will have home-ice advantage in round one.
The Leafs are currently seven points ahead of Tampa with one game in hand. The two teams will meet on April 11th in what could be a first-round preview. It’s also possible that Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe might sit a few of his star players for that game and rest them for the playoffs.
So, the April 11th game might not end up being as great as the media will hype it up to be. However, depending on how well each team does between now and then, that game could decide who gets home-ice advantage. If that is the case, then it will definitely be an important game to watch.
For now, fans can enjoy that the Toronto Maple Leafs are returning to the playoffs for a seventh straight time. This time, fans will be hoping for a different outcome than the previous six trips. The Leafs have a solid group with a mixture of all the right ingredients to win. They will need to stick to their game plan and hopefully avoid any serious injuries.
Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Win Round One
The learning curve is over. The inexperience is no longer there. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to take the proverbial next step and win a playoff series. When a series features two good teams in Toronto and Tampa, the series could go either way. Last season it went Tampa’s way. Toronto cannot allow that to happen again. Auston Matthews and company need to stop Tampa’s recent playoff success.
Forwards
The Toronto Maple Leafs will need everyone to do their part. The core of Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares will need to score goals. Players such as Michael Bunting, Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Kerfoot, and Sam Lafferty need to provide secondary scoring. Noel Acciari, Zach Aston-Reese, and David Kampf need to play to their strengths and create energy every shift.
Defense
After many different combinations, it looks like Sheldon Keefe is comfortable with the following defensive pairings.
Jake McCabe – T.J Brodie
Morgan Rielly – Luke Schenn
Mark Giordano – Justin Holl
However, these pairings have been together for only two or three games, and are likely to keep changing until the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not entered a playoff series with this much depth on defense in the salary cap era. Hopefully, it will help them end the Tampa Bay Lightning’s reign.
Goaltending
Due to overall performance, Ilya Samsonov should get the start in the net for the Maple Leafs in game one. Playoff pressure can be overwhelming, and if Samsonov falters, Keefe will have to trust the experience of Matt Murray. Murray has won two Stanley Cups and knows what it takes to win when it matters the most.
The NHL playoffs will begin on April 17th, and for those who made it to the dance, it is time to wipe the slate clean and try to become the Stanley Cup champions.