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Beggars can’t be choosers I guess. And thanks to the Senators, instead of a historic matchup against the Canadiens the Leafs will be facing the bastards from Bean town. (Here’s a great recap of all of this seasons matchups).

One year ago the articles on this series would be darker than Marc Savards house, but thankfully the Bruins have been falling down to Earth to the point that the Leafs have finally been able to grab a win off of them.

Led by Chara, Bergeron, Rask and Jagr, it seems they’ll have the Leafs outmatched, and when you add in the two bro-iest bros who ever bro-ed (Marchand and Tyler “The Trashman” Seguin), they seem to have depth that Toronto cannot yet match despite the rise of Kadri and Reimer.

There is hope to be had, as Lucic’s production seems to be hiding out in a Colorado bunker with Tim Thomas and their power play is weaker than Cam Neely’s knees, but it’s still hard to make a case that Toronto has an advantage in this series. Scoring depth and special teams may be best hope of winning (that or attempting to utilize speed instead of engaging in a purely physical series).


It’s not hard to go into this series with a ton of hate towards the Bruins. We are going to once again be forced to rehash the Kessel trade without any acknowledgement that the Leafs wouldn’t be in the playoffs if it wasn’t for Phil. We’ll hear about the Rask for Raycroft deal again (okay this one legit sucks). We’re forced to help line the pockets of Jeremy Jacobs, perhaps the man most responsible for this season’s lockout. And of course, we’ll get to constantly hear from the fan base that tastelessly went after Joel Ward last season.

We are now two days away from finally seeing a Leafs playoff game, and we get to go up against a team that is 3-5-2 in their last 10. If you’re looking for optimism, the current woes of the Bruins may be your silver lining. Win or lose, it’s exciting to be back. Now let’s shock the hockey world and beat these pissahs wicked bad.

Your moment of Zen

Here’s the First Round Schedule:

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Monday Morning Links…

NHL Announces First Round Schedule (NHL.com)
CBC picked the Leafs and Habs series and let the Canucks fall to TSN. I find the pecking order of Canadian teams fascinating.

Is Anne Murray Available to Sing the Anthem? (The Leafs Nation)
Cam wants to hear Anne do Maple Leaf forever, I’d settle for the Rascalz singing Northern Touch.

After years of the Phil Kessel debate—and doubt—will Tyler Seguin show himself in these playoffs? (VLM)
Michael is the first to weigh in with some Kessel/Seguin talk

Whipped in Finale Leafs Stumble into Playoffs (TSN)
All I see is “Leafs in Playoffs.”

Manufacturing Goals in the Post Season (Blue Chip Prospects)
A good look at the importance of the powerplay in any possible success against Boston.

Draft Lottery Odds Now Set (Backhand Shelf)
Nice to not see the Leafs on this list, but division “rivals” Panthers, Lightning, and Sabres will all be adding incredible players

Joe Sacco Fired as Avs Coach (Puck Daddy)
This makes sense, but not firing Greg Sherman is confusing. I would have figured he’d be out before Nieuwendyk.

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