Leafs look to regroup against Bruins

Nylander’s status remains unclear for Game 2, Keefe confident team can bounce back from loss

BOSTON Sheldon Keefe’s team was in a similar position 12 months ago.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their National Hockey League playoff opener to the Tampa Bay Lightning before roaring back to capture the Original Six franchise’s first series in nearly two decades.

A weight was finally lifted. The fan base rejoiced, if only briefly.

Despite suffering a 5-1 loss in Boston to open this spring’s Stanley Cup tournament, Toronto still — at least in some ways — finds itself in a slightly better spot compared to last year’s curtain-raising setback on home ice.

These Bruins, however, are a different animal.

Boston swept the Leafs four straight in the regular season, outscoring Toronto 14-7. The Bruins now have won eight consecutive games against their Atlantic Division rival — a stretch of more than 530 days dating back to November 2022.

And, looking even further in the rear-view mirror, Boston claimed the three previous playoff series between the teams over the past dozen years with Game 2 set for Monday.

“You’ve got to be able to move on,” Keefe said Sunday at the team’s hotel.

“You make your adjustments and you get back at it. That’s really it. You can’t get too worked up about it. Whether the game finishes the way it did last night or whether we lose the game in overtime, we’re still down 1-0.”

The long-term numbers and trends, however, are bleak for a team that pumped 36 shots at Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman on Saturday, but was undone by mistakes, penalties and an inability to capitalize on opportunities.

Toronto won four of its next five contests last spring after dropping Game 1 against Tampa to buck 19 years of playoff misery.

Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves, who signed in the off-season as part of a roster remake that included off-ice intangibles, referenced Disney’s “The Lion King” when asked about the team’s mood.

“Almost the ‘Hakuna Matata’ kind of motto,” he said.

“You can’t be worried about what happened in the past. You’ve just got to look forward.”

Looking back to Saturday, the Leafs will be hoping for improved special-teams play after giving up two goals on five Boston power plays and getting nothing from their three man-advantage chances.

A huge question mark for Toronto as the best-of-seven series progresses is the status of winger William Nylander, who missed the opener with an undisclosed injury. The 27-year-old has sat out because of illness in the past, but Saturday marked the first time he’s been absent due to a physical ailment since November 2016.

The Leafs have made it clear they won’t be discussing injuries — Keefe wouldn’t even say how Nylander is handling the disappointment of missing Game 1 — but a couple of his players offered a sliver of insight.

“Seemed to be in good spirits,” Toronto defenceman Jake McCabe said of the Swede. “Not going to speak too much on it.”

Whether or not Nylander, whose absence ripples down the lineup and impacts the power play, is available Monday, the Leafs know a response is required.

It’s something they’ve done before. Just not against the Bruins.

“We’ve got to be able to bounce back,” Keefe said.

“But at the same time not overreact or get over emotional about one loss. You’ve just got to get right back to it,” he added.

“And trust your group.”

‘‘You can’t be worried about what happened in the past. You’ve just got to look forward.

RYAN REAVES LEAFS ENFORCER