The time is now for the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a playoff series. There are no excuses left to give. It is time to do away with the dark, first-round cloud of the Stanley Cup playoffs that has lingered over this franchise for many years.
The Leafs are favoured to win their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, however, that means little. The scars and baggage of this organization run deep, but the stars are aligning for this team to finally have success. The blemishes sported by many on the current roster are part of the reason why the time is now for the Leafs to win a playoff series.
Previous Playoff Experiences Eliminate Surprises
It is one of the most overused cliches in sports with many variations. “Adversity builds character”. A young team must go through losing and experience painful outcomes to learn what it takes to win. By now, this team should have learned lots.
It was thought to be a stepping-stone when fresh-faced Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander took the future Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals to six games before ultimately losing in 2017. Then came successive defeats, in a variety of ways and circumstances to the Boston Bruins (twice), Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadians, and the Lightning. That trio of players, along with John Tavares and Morgan Rielly now have plenty of postseason torment.
The thing is, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander are no longer young whipper-snappers. They have an abundance of playoff experience now. With the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Capitals’ recent eliminations, the Leafs and Bruins now have the longest active streaks of making the Stanley Cup playoffs. These three players are in their prime years. They know what comes with playoff hockey. The time has come to put those previous painful lessons to use.
Leafs’ Roster Has Depth
A common thought at the trade deadline was that general manager Kyle Dubas had turned over too much of the roster. There was not enough time to assimilate the new additions. Team chemistry might also be affected. The opposite has turned out to be true.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe has never had the plethora of options that he does now. He has an assortment of forward and defence combinations he can use. Ryan O’Reilly, Jake McCabe, Noel Acciari, Luke Schenn, Sam Lafferty, and Erik Gustafsson have seamlessly found roles and contributed. Matthew Knies is also an interesting X-factor. They provide welcome insurance should performance, strategy, or injuries dictate lineup changes.
Team chemistry and depth were on full display in their most recent game against the Lightning. With nothing to play for, and minus Matthews and Marner in the lineup, they gutted out a victory with Joseph Woll in the net. They passed an important dress rehearsal demonstrating important traits that are required to win in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Numbers Support Leafs
Fans of the Leafs hope that “statistics don’t lie”. The Leafs were better than the Lightning in most important areas during the regular season. They have a home-ice advantage and finished with a plus fifty-seven in goal-differential compared to plus twenty-nine for the Lightning. Both teams have lethal power plays, but the Leafs were the better defensive team during the year, including five-on-five. Andrei Vasilevskiy looks beatable in goal.
Down the stretch, the Leafs were much better than the Lightning. The Bolts gave up a boatload of goals on more than one occasion during the late stages of the season. They limped to the finish line, losing six of their last ten games. The Leafs also won the season series, taking five out of a possible six points.
The Lightning, of course, has the championship pedigree and has proven capable of beating anyone. Yet, the Leafs are familiar with this opponent and were tantalizingly close to winning last year’s series. They are healthy and have demonstrated remarkable consistency.
It is up to this roster of players to find a way. No more excuses. The time is now for the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a playoff series.
Main Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
