The Toronto Maple Leafs should be very confident heading into the playoffs after defeating the Florida Panthers and clinching a playoff spot at home on Wednesday night.
This game felt like a playoff match-up and although it looked like Sergei Bobrovsky was going to be the difference-maker, the Toronto Maple Leafs persevered, defeating their rivals 3-2. It's quite possible that this victory will be the reason why they end up winning the Atlantic Division and secure that important home-ice advantage.
The Leafs will need to fix their penalty-kill to go far into the playoffs, but if they can clean that up, the world is their oyster. Maybe I'm blinded by what I saw on Wednesday night, but I'm all of a sudden super-pumped and optimistic about the playoffs (insert Michael Scott's "I'm ready to get hurt again" gif here).
With only a handful of games left in the season, the Leafs needed this win and played one of their best overall games all season to secure it. The team's top-six delivered, highlighted by Mitch Marner, who I thought was spectacular. His goal was awesome, but it was his stretch-pass to Matthew Knies that makes him so valuable, and it felt like he was dancing all night.
Toronto Maple Leafs clinch playoff spot as they beat the Florida Panthers
The million-dollar question though when it comes to the Leafs right now is their goaltending because on paper, they have a much more inferior goaltender than Tampa Bay or Florida.
Both Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy are Vezina and Stanley Cup winners, which is unfortunately something both Leafs goalies can't say, yet.
However, Anthony Stolarz proved to everyone that he should be the number-one goalie moving forward, coming up clutch all night. I know that he allowed a goal late in the third period, but he was screened and it was a great shot by Sam Reinhart. Overall, he stopped 29 shots and was steady all night, which should give the Leafs a ton of confidence when the playoffs start.
With three straight wins, the Leafs are playing playoff-style hockey already, which should give us hope. The team hasn't allowed more than two goals in those three straight victories and their best players have stepped up every night. With a three-point buffer on the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team's next big test will come next Tuesday and Wednesday when they face the Lightning and Panthers on the road, in a back-to-back. However, if the team can win those games, or at least split them, they should win the Division.
I know that the regular season isn't a reflection of what will take place in the playoffs, but this Leafs team feels different. They feel hungrier and ready to prove that they can finally win and I think it's actually going to happen this year. I'm not saying that we should start planning the parade but Leafs fans better clear their schedule for April and May because we may be watching hockey for a few more months.