Depending on your perspective, the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ first-round victory can be seen in two different lights. On one hand, it’s only the second time in nine seasons that the team made it past the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs—a stat that underscores their frustrating postseason history. On the other hand, it’s also the second time in the last three years that they’ve advanced, which could signal that this team is turning a corner.
Related: 6 Takeaways From Maple Leafs’ First-Round Series Win Over Senators
Given that the team is moving on, what lessons were learned during the first-round win over the Ottawa Senators?
Lesson One: The Maple Leafs Can Play a Stinker and Come Back
How bad was the top six in Game 5? In a game where the Maple Leafs did not score a goal, only five forwards were minus in plus/minus. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies were all at minus-4, and William Nylander and John Tavares were at minus-3. The other seven forwards were all even.
As for the defense in that game, Morgan Rielly was minus-2. Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe were minus-1, while Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were all even. That is 10 players not in the negative plus/minus in a 4-0 loss. The game was a stinker, and the team’s best players were on the ice when the goals went in.
Related: Do You Know Your Maple Leafs Trivia?
But the team bounced back in Game 6. So, as I noted in yesterday’s post, sharing Wendel Clark’s insights, it’s more than possible to lay an egg in one game and bounce back in another.
Lesson Two: Max Pacioretty Brings Veteran Leadership
In Game 6, only one skater on the Maple Leafs was greater than plus-1. That was Max Pacioretty at plus-2. Head coach Craig Berube made a smooth move when he moved Pacioretty into the top six on the line with Tavares and Nylander.
The move seemed to invigorate Pacioretty. He made a nice play at the Ottawa blue line to keep the puck in on Nylander’s goal, and he came close to scoring a goal earlier in the game, but hit a post. After the Senators tied the game at twos, Pacioretty was demoted back to the third line on his next shift. How did he respond? He scored the series-winning goal on that shift.
Expect to see more of Pacioretty in the top six. Interestingly, he was visibly emotional in his post-game interview, which allows fans to see how much this matters to him personally.
Lesson Three: The Maple Leafs’ Secondary Scoring Came Through
Nylander and Pacioretty are getting attention for their Game 6 performances. However, Max Domi deserves much credit for doing all the legwork on the winning goal. It started with Domi breaking in two-on-one with Pontus Holmberg and getting a shot off. Then he won a one-on-three battle with three Senators players behind the net before feeding Pacioretty with the pass that led to the goal. That is two huge plays Domi made in the series: that play and the overtime winner in Game 2.
Related: Hockey Analyst Calls for Maple Leafs to Start Woll Over Stolarz vs. Panthers
The Maple Leafs have shown the secondary scoring that is so valued in the postseason. Seventeen (17) of the 19 skaters who saw ice time in the series registered at least a point. Only one forward, Steven Lorentz, and one defenseman, Brandon Carlo, failed to register a single point. That Lorentz didn’t is a mystery. He was all over the ice and, to the eye test, made an impact every game.
Lesson Four: The Panthers’ Past Connection Made a Difference for the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs have three players from the Panthers’ team that won the Cup last season: goalie Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forward Lorentz. This begs the question: Is that an advantage for the Maple Leafs or the Panthers?
Those three players would have insight into how the Panthers play, their systems, and their tendencies. At the same time, Florida head coach Paul Maurice would be aware of whatever weaknesses those three players might have and how to take advantage of them, especially when it comes to Stolarz. It will be interesting to see if the situation will work for him or against him.
Lesson Five: The Maple Leafs and Panthers Goalies Compare Well After First Round
Who has been the better goalie to this point in the playoffs? Stolarz or Sergei Bobrovsky? By the numbers, it is a draw. Both goalies have identical save percentages (.901) and goals-against averages (2.21). Stolarz has played one more game than Bobrovsky and has one more loss than Bobrovsky, but Stolarz has also carried his save percentage and goals-against average for over 80 more minutes of play.
Related: Maple Leafs Battling Familiar Ghosts: History, Pressure, and Doubt
Let’s look back at the regular season. Stolarz had a better save percentage (.926 to .905) and goals-against average (2.14 to 2.44), but Bobrovsky played 20 more games than Stolarz. He also has the advantage when it comes to experience. Not only has he played far more games (754 to 142), but in the playoffs before this season, Stolarz played only 35 minutes in a relief appearance for Bobrovsky. In contrast, Bobrovsky has a Stanley Cup ring he won just last season.
The Nagging Maple Leafs Question Continues to Exist
The Maple Leafs have a reputation for being a terrible playoff team. Like it or not, it’s deserved. They have made it past the first round of the postseason just twice in their nine years. At the same time, as noted at the start of this post, they’ve made it past the first round twice in the last three years. After defeating the Senators in Round One, they now face the defending Stanley Cup champions in Round Two.
The Panthers are favored to win the series. If the Maple Leafs lose to the Panthers, will that reinforce the “They suck in the playoffs” attitude, or will they have just lost to the better team? Maple Leafs fans have to hope it doesn’t come to that.
[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]
