Establish the mood. In hockey, it’s one of the most often used sayings. It’s critical during the postseason, when intangibles become more significant, right?
Yes. However, what if the tone is incorrect?
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who play their debut playoff game on Saturday at TD Garden, one of the most frightening road venues in the NHL, against the Boston Bruins, seemed to have a plan. Before the puck even dropped to start the game, Leafs left winger Max Domi took a few hacks and slashes at Boston Bruins superpest Brad Marchand. Determined not to back down in those heart-stopping first few minutes of a series, the Leafs blasted the Bruins on the forecheck with elbows and shoulders flying.
A thrilling two minutes and twenty-six seconds passed.
That was the amount of time it took for the Leafs’ attempt to establish their supremacy to go wrong. While attempting a spectacular hit, enforcer Ryan Reaves unintentionally trapped teammate Joel Edmundson in Boston’s zone. This gave the Bruins a 2-on-1 advantage, and on Boston’s opening shot of the match, youngster John Beecher scored after Jesper Boqvist’s pass. 1-0.
Yes. However, what if the tone is incorrect?
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who play their debut playoff game on Saturday at TD Garden, one of the most frightening road venues in the NHL, against the Boston Bruins, seemed to have a plan. Before the puck even dropped to start the game, Leafs left winger Max Domi took a few hacks and slashes at Boston Bruins superpest Brad Marchand. Determined not to back down in those heart-stopping first few minutes of a series, the Leafs blasted the Bruins on the forecheck with elbows and shoulders flying.
If you’ve followed GM Brad Treliving’s 2023–24 Leafs, you’ll see that Game 1’s outcome was, in a way, on target. Among the largest and most powerful teams in the NHL is this Leaf squad. It was eighth in terms of penalty minutes per game and second in the league in terms of hits. Reaves, Edmundson, Simon Benoit, and Ilya Lyubushkin were tough customers, while scrappy scorers like Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi were brought in with the intention of building a club better suited for postseason trench warfare. Hey, the Leafs didn’t appear to be physically superior throughout most of Game 1. They traded 50-50 hits with Boston.
Despite this, the Leafs overadjusted when they faced one of the league’s scrappier teams, a meat-and-potatoes version of the Bruins, where David Pastrnak was the only player to record 30 goals this season.
Superstar center Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs told reporters following the game on Saturday, “It’s just all about the mindset and keeping our composure and finding that fine line of competing and sticking up for one another but not crossing that line where we’re the ones being taken to the box.”
They overlooked the one big advantage they were supposed to have heading into this series: their finesse game, which they let play into the hands of the less experienced squad. Even though they are the second-highest scoring team in the NHL, they were unable to muster a win in Game 1 against the Bruins and reliable goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Their power play in especially struggled to provide clear opportunities.
But when you only score one, you can’t blame your goalie for a loss, as Keefe said following the game. The startling absence of star right winger William Nylander, who had just finished with 98 points and hadn’t missed a game due to injury in eight years, was felt by the Leafs. However, Nylander woke up on Friday with an unidentified health issue. Bobby McMann, the large left winger who scored 15 goals this season, was also absent. However, it’s not as though the Leafs’ offense was completely shut down for Game 1. They had John Tavares up front, Mitch Marner, a brilliant playmaker, and 69-goal scorer Matthews available. They produced plenty of opportunities, outshooting and outplaying Boston in each of the three 5-on-5 periods.
In Game 1, the Leafs didn’t seem to be able to contain Boston’s zone for long stretches of time. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm led the Bruins’ D-corps, who appeared nimble and able to skate the puck out of trouble. The Leafs’ defensive corps, especially that of Benoit and Jake McCabe, lumbered and took far too long to exit the zone on several occasions.
In Game 1, the Leafs didn’t seem to be able to contain Boston’s zone for long stretches of time. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm led the Bruins’ D-corps, who appeared nimble and able to skate the puck out of trouble. The Leafs’ defensive corps, especially that of Benoit and Jake McCabe, lumbered and took far too long to exit the zone on several occasions.