IT’S THE BRUINS
Auston Matthews denied 70th in loss to Panthers, Maple Leafs will face Boston again in playoffs
Bring on the Boston Bruins.
For the 17th time in franchise history, the Maple Leafs will meet one of their Original Six rivals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That became the reality on Tuesday night when the Leafs lost 5-2 to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, a final result that came about a half-hour after the Bruins lost 3-1 at home against the Ottawa Senators.
The Panthers win and Bruins loss enabled Florida to finish the 2023-24 regular season one point ahead of Boston (110-109) and win the Atlantic Division title.
The Leafs and Bruins will clash in the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Boston has beaten Toronto in the past six post-season meetings, with the Leafs’ most recent win coming in 1959.
During this regular season, the Leafs were 0-2-2 in four games against the Bruins.
The best-of-seven first round is expected to start on Saturday.
MATTHEWS FAILS TO SCORE 70TH
Auston Matthews’ quest to record the 15th 70-goal season in National Hockey League history has come down to one game.
The Leafs will finish their regular season in Tampa Bay against the Lightning on Wednesday, and provided Matthews does not get rested, it will be his last chance (for now) to join an exclusive club.
Against the Panthers, Matthews had 12 attempts, including five shots on goal, and hit the post during a Leafs power play in the third period. But he couldn’t beat Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz, despite the efforts of Leafs teammates to get him the puck in the right places.
Matthews played 18 minutes 44 seconds and was minus-3.
The game in Tampa is bound to be a no-hitter. And considering the Leafs have just 12 healthy forwards, it’s seems clear that Matthews will be in the lineup. A 70th Matthews goal would mark the first season of that kind in the NHL since 1992-93, when Alex Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres and Teemu Selanne, in his rookie year with the Winnipeg Jets, each scored 76 goals. And yes, we think Matthews should be in the lineup on Wednesday.
GAME ON
It’s a clean slate for every team once the playoffs start, no doubt. Still, the second period on the part of the Leafs couldn’t have been much worse, and that it came so late in the season had to be disheartening for the group. It was the third time (and second in two games) that the Leafs allowed four goals in one period. The Panthers’ 29 shots on goal were the most by a Leafs opponent in any period this season (the previous high was 18). The Leafs record for most against in one period is 32, set in a game in March 1984 against Hartford … The bad in the second period: The manner in which the Leafs couldn’t handle the Panthers forecheck. For a team gearing up for the playoffs, it was a terrible look, and it involved the probable six D-men who will be in the Toronto lineup to start the first round. Scratched were TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano and Connor
Timmins. Of those three, only Brodie might find his way into Game 1. If you’re going to be satisfied with the physical play that Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin bring, you have to recognize that neither are fleet afoot and can be a liability. The Leafs’ defence corps collectively will have to find another level starting on
Saturday … After Carter Verhaeghe scored in the first minute of the second, the Panthers got goals from Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart 10 seconds apart, the latter coming at 10:42. Brandon Montour scored from the point at 13:24 … Reinhart scored into an empty net to seal the win … Only if Ilya Samsonov gets hurt in Tampa on Wednesday will he not be the post-season starter in the Toronto net. Joseph Woll hasn’t been great since returning from a sprained ankle and he was no different on Tuesday … There couldn’t have been many complaints — say, none — from Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe with the manner in which the team started the game. Each player made it clear from the opening faceoff he wasn’t in save-mode for the playoffs, as the effort and energy was strong … Mitch Marner has been sharp since returning from a sprained ankle and has a point in each of his six games since coming back. Marner’s enthusiasm always has been on par with his talent, so it’s not really a surprise that he will head into the playoffs on a high. His 27th goal gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead, the fourth game in a row that Toronto scored first … Nice to see Noah Gregor score for the first time in 34 games, but it’s unlikely to keep him in the lineup to start first round. If Max Domi is back for Game 1, as is the expectation, Gregor presumably would be the odd man out. And certainly Gregor would be out if Bobby Mcmann is back as well. More often than not, Gregor — who had not scored since Dec. 16 before beating a screened Stolarz to give the Leafs a 2-0 lead in the first — has been a healthy scratch since mid-february … William Nylander goes into the final game of the regular season with no goals and four assists in his past 10 games. There’s no way to put a positive spin on that lack of production for a player who is usually one of the Leafs’ top offensive threats.