The Battle of Ontario Returns

 

Photo From TSN

For the first time since 2004, the Maple Leafs and Ottawa will face off in the postseason. Before I share my thoughts on the upcoming series, I want to reflect on how Toronto finished the regular season. As we know, Toronto clinched the Atlantic Division thanks to a comfortable 4-0 win over Buffalo, but all season long, I felt there was something different about this team. From the very first game, we saw that under Craig Berube, the Leafs were committed to playing complete games. They focused on both defensive and offensive play and held each other accountable.

Heading into the season, all the talking heads predicted Toronto would be battling for a wild card spot; nobody expected them to win the division. So to see Toronto play as well as they did all season — and to ultimately win the Atlantic — was impressive. Now, let’s hope that the Leafs’ strong play carries over into the playoffs.

Toronto and Ottawa will meet in the opening round, and of course, right away, the critics say, “Ottawa dominated in the regular season.” Guess what? That doesn’t matter now, and it never has when these two teams have met in the past. The Leafs have a lineup that has performed all season, and it only got stronger with the trade deadline additions of Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo.

During the season, Morgan Rielly was heavily criticized for his play, but once he and Carlo settled in as a pairing, Rielly became a plus-rated player nearly every night for the last two months. Laughton has been a strong addition to the bottom-six forward group, thanks to his simple but consistent decision-making.

Toronto’s goaltending is much improved compared to last season. With Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, the Leafs have two goalies capable of starting throughout the playoffs. Both Stolarz and Woll finished the season with 20-plus wins, so goaltending — as always — will be a key factor in the series, especially since Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark is fully capable of standing on his head and stealing a series.

Another focus will be on how Toronto’s special teams perform. Last year against Boston, the Leafs managed only one power-play goal but still pushed the series to a seventh game, where they ultimately lost in overtime. While the penalty kill was a slight concern down the stretch this season, there were signs of improvement in the final regular-season games. The power play finished the season ranked 6th, so if that production continues — and the penalty kill keeps improving — the Leafs should have the edge in that part of the game.

Toronto’s success will depend on how well the core four perform. William Nylander has been the most consistent playoff producer for the Leafs, usually averaging a point per game. Coming off a 45-goal regular season, you can expect him to continue that trend. John Tavares will be strong on faceoffs and had another great season, collecting 74 points in 75 games — I still laugh when people claim he can’t produce anymore. The Leafs will need elite performances from both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner if they hope to make a deep and successful playoff run. Matthews finished the regular season with 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points, while Marner led the team with 102 points, thanks to 27 goals and 75 assists.

It won’t be an easy series — it’s the playoffs, and it’s not supposed to be easy — but I feel confident the Leafs will win in six games. They finished the regular season with 27 home wins at Scotiabank Arena and 25 road victories, setting a new franchise record. If Toronto can secure the first two wins at home, they’ll be in great shape heading into the back half of the series in Ottawa.

Many Leafs fans remember how exciting the previous Battles of Ontario were, and I’m sure this series will be no different. We’ll see how things unfold when the series opens on Easter Sunday.

Thanks for reading!