A New Season For The Toronto Maple Leafs
from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com,
The Toronto Maple Leafs were all smiles when they gathered for the official 2021-22 team photo on the Scotiabank Arena ice Wednesday. With Auston Matthews having scored his 60th goal of the season when Toronto clinched home ice for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings 15 hours earlier, there was plenty of reason to be jovial.
But here's the reality of the situation: If the Maple Leafs stumble in the early stages of the postseason yet again, one of the greatest regular seasons in their nearly 105-year history, for individual players and the team itself, will end will a dour mood.
"All the accolades come when the team is doing well. Like, you get individual awards and stuff in the regular season, and it's great. But come playoff time those things don't mean much," defenseman Jake Muzzin said with a knowing chuckle.
"It's a new season, really, and we've got to start breaking records in [the] playoffs I guess, so to speak. So it's take it day by day, get ready for Game 1 and go from there."
After closing out their regular season against the Boston Bruins on Friday, the Maple Leafs will play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at home having clinched second place in the Atlantic Division. They will face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning or the Bruins, who reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.
Either way, playoff experience and success will not be on their side.
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