Wow, what an explanation point on the Maple Leafs stellar 2024-25 season. Having beaten the Buffalo Sabres 4-0, the Leafs took the Atlantic Division, guaranteeing them home-ice advantage in Rounds 1 and 2 of the NHL Playoffs, should they advance.
And in many cases, this one’s fitting, considering how powerful their lineup was and their overall consistency all season. But still, every Maple Leafs fan out there knows how much of a thorn the postseason has been in their team’s side.
Yet, home ice advantage is home ice advantage. And with the win, it also means the Eastern Conference's playoff field is pretty much set. While the Leafs will play the Senators, fans will also get to watch the Florida teams face off.
Eastern Conference playoff field is nearly set with Maple Leafs taking the Atlantic
While we know the Tampa Bay Lightning will square off against the Florida Panthers, Tampa will enjoy home-ice advantage in the series no matter what. Florida can tie the Lightning in the standings, but they don't have enough regulation wins to steal second. And that's bad news for the Panthers, since the Lightning play outstanding hockey at home.
Next, we got the Carolina Hurricanes taking on the New Jersey Devils over in the Metro Division. Neither Jersey nor Carolina have played great hockey lately, so it'll be interesting to see if one can build momentum over the other and get back on track as the series progresses.
And finally, we got the Washington Capitals, who will play either the surging Columbus Blue Jackets or Montreal Canadiens. Right now, it looks like the honor is going to Montreal. But if the Jackets win one more game and the Habs lose, Columbus will have accomplished the impossible.
Maple Leafs need to treat the NHL Playoffs like it's the regular season
Yeah, this one's counterintuitive, since strategies change in the playoffs. But if the Leafs take this one game at a time, expect to see a different result than we've seen in years' past. Gone will be the days of one-and-done finishes, with the rare outlier. And gone will be the days of fans spending an entire summers thinking 'what if?'
The Leafs just set a blueprint on how to win consistently throughout the regular season, so why change it in the postseason unless an opponent gives them a reason to? Hey, I wouldn't, and nor should head coach Craig Berube. We'll see what happens shortly.