For every part he is performed since his celebrated arrival in 2016, Auston Matthews cannot change the Toronto Maple Leafs’ historical past of early spherical playoff collapses.
Maybe, a greater future lies immediately forward for a crew enjoying a extra accountable defensive model below new coach Craig Berube, and after Toronto secured a number of particular person and franchise achievements in clinching its first Atlantic Division title with a 4-0 win at Buffalo on Tuesday night time.
“I feel we’re ready,” Matthews mentioned after scoring his four-hundredth profession aim.
“Clearly, we won’t change what’s occurred previously. I feel you put on that,” the No. 1 choose within the 2016 NHL draft added. “So I really feel actually assured on this group. I feel we put in a variety of work over the season. Clearly, incomes the division here’s a huge step for us. However we simply need to proceed to push ahead.”
With the victory, Toronto (51-26-4) received its team-record twenty fifth highway sport and, with one sport left, is assured to complete with its second-most wins and third-most factors. Within the meantime, Mitch Marner set a career-high together with his one centesimal level, whereas goalie Anthony Stolarz stopped 35 photographs to increase his career-best successful streak to eight.
In securing the Japanese Convention’s second seed, Toronto will face provincial rival Ottawa within the first spherical and rekindle the so-called “Battle of Ontario.” The Maple Leafs have received all 4 playoff collection conferences in opposition to the Senators, the newest a seven-game first-round win in 2004.
Toronto, nevertheless, can also be carrying the burden of its newer playoff historical past. The crew has superior previous the primary spherical simply as soon as — a 4-2 collection win over Tampa Bay in 2023 — in its previous 9 postseason appearances.
What’s totally different is how the Maple Leafs are enjoying in driving a 12-2-1 run, together with a nine-game stretch by which they’ve received eight occasions whereas outscoring opponents by a mixed margin of 28-12.
“The entire season’s a studying curve, particularly with a brand new coach coming in, new programs. It is totally different from the model of play that this crew’s performed with in earlier seasons,” mentioned ahead Steven Lorentz, who signed with Toronto after successful a Stanley Cup with Florida final 12 months .
“It may not be as thrilling if you win the sport 2-1 slightly than 7-6,” Lorentz added. “However you already know, that is championship hockey and that is what it takes if you wish to play into June.”
The Maple Leafs actually have not misplaced their offensive contact. With 263 objectives, Toronto is closing in on ending its ninth straight season ranked among the many NHL’s high 10.
What’s modified is the crew’s goals-against numbers. The Maple Leafs enter their closing sport ranked tenth within the NHL in permitting 226 objectives. Solely twice over the previous 9 seasons have they completed with a greater rating.
The gamers credit score their goaltending tandem that features Joseph Woll, and with Stolarz selecting up his fourth shutout of the season, third in 4 begins, and twelfth of his profession.
“He was lights out final 12 months,” Lorentz mentioned of Stolarz, who additionally spent final season in Florida. “He simply brings it. He is a gamer. He does not take something tremendous significantly. And I feel that is what makes him so good.”
Stolarz positioned the emphasis on how the crew’s enjoying soundly in entrance of him.
“I really feel good, however I feel on the finish of the day, the blokes are actually committing to an entire two-way sport up and down the ice,” the 31-year-old mentioned. “It is what it is gonna take to go far within the playoffs. I simply assume that we have now to proceed this development.”
Berube, who received a Cup teaching the St. Louis Blues in 2019, mentioned the important thing to this season has been the buy-in from gamers.
“You are all the time making an attempt to work in your id. And that hasn’t stopped all through the season,” he mentioned.
“I feel our guys have performed a superb job of it,” Berube added. “So yeah, I feel we’re in a great place, however we have got to maintain ensuring we’re pounding away at it and preserve engaged on it and be able to go.”
Flames miss playoffs
Regardless of coming from behind to win but once more, the red-hot Calgary Flames have been eradicated from playoff rivalry.
Calgary’s thrilling 5-4 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday was not adequate as their destiny was sealed earlier within the night when each the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues received to lock down the 2 wild-card playoff berths within the Western Convention.
4 weeks in the past, the Flames have been two factors out of a playoff spot, however had two video games in hand on St. Louis. Calgary has gone 10-2-3 since then, however did not make up any floor because the Blues compiled an 11-2-1 document to take care of that two-point cushion.
“Felt like we have been rolling, enjoying some good hockey, simply sadly, we could not get any assist,” mentioned Nazem Kadri, who scored his thirty third aim, setting a profession excessive.
Whereas Calgary has one sport remaining, St. Louis owns the tiebreaker in order that lead is sufficient to go away the Flames on the skin of the post-season.
“I am dissatisfied, a bit of bit unhappy for our gamers,” mentioned Flames coach Ryan Huska. “They labored arduous over the course of 12 months to get themselves to this spot and I felt like they most likely deserved higher than the place they ended up.
“It’s important to give a variety of credit score to St Louis, too. Not a variety of groups go on the run that they went on to get themselves into the playoffs. If they would not have had that sort of run, we’re most likely the place we need to be proper now.”
5 of Calgary’s 10 wins of their livid late-season push got here in video games by which they trailed after two durations.
“Character guys, good group of men,” mentioned Kadri. “We may have been out of this factor a month in the past, however it reveals (our) pesky angle. And I felt if we may have squeaked in, there might need been one thing there as a result of we have had a variety of momentum and we have performed some nice hockey in opposition to some nice hockey groups.”
It is the third straight season the Flames will miss the playoffs.
“You are feeling for the older guys, proper? That is actually what it comes right down to,” mentioned Kadri, 34. “I am positive the younger gamers are going to have lengthy careers and be doing this some time, however it’s the older guys you’re feeling for.”
The oldest participant on the crew is 36-year-old captain Mikael Backlund.
“Simply a variety of feelings proper now,” mentioned Backlund, whose 14th aim was the second of two objectives in 32 seconds, tying the sport 3-3 within the third. “Fought actually arduous all season lengthy and to fall quick in the long run, it is arduous.”
With the league’s second-lowest crew wage and having traded away veterans corresponding to Jacob Markstrom, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin from final 12 months’s crew, not a lot was anticipated from the Flames going into this season, however they defied the skeptics.
“Nobody believed in us, however we believed in ourselves from day one, beginning in coaching camp, and instantly, you bought a way that everybody was shopping for in and was believing and when everybody buys in and believes, you possibly can obtain some huge issues,” mentioned Backlund. “Sadly, we did not make it to playoffs, however we battled all the best way till the top and we have been so resilient all 12 months.”
For MacKenzie Weegar, his prevailing emotion post-game was satisfaction.
“I am happy with this group. The perseverance and the management from all people, the idea, all people purchased in and it says loads,” mentioned the veteran defenceman. “All people got here to work for each other this 12 months and I feel that is an important factor. So credit score to this crew. And we actually did battle with all we had.
On the finish of the sport, the group of 19,055 rose to their ft and saluted the crew with a thunderous ovation, which the gamers stayed on the ice to acknowledge.
“I mentioned initially of the 12 months, the folks in Calgary, they need to see arduous work,” mentioned Huska. “They actually do. And so they appreciated what the blokes did all 12 months. So it is simply unlucky that we’re not capable of preserve going.”
Additionally scoring for Calgary was Morgan Frost, ending a 25-game goalless drought. He additionally scored the deciding aim within the shootout. Adam Klapka had the opposite aim.
Rookie Dustin Wolf, making his eighth straight begin, was stellar as soon as once more making 38 stops to enhance to 29-16-8.
Brandon Saad, Nicolas Roy, Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Golden Knights who’re heading to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. They’ll meet the Minnesota Wild within the first spherical.
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