For the fourth time in 11 years, the Maple Leafs attempt to slay the bear in a first-round matchup against the Boston Bruins (8:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet, CBC, HBO Max, TBS, truTV).
Early indications are injury and lineup information will be very hard to come by via Sheldon Keefe and the Maple Leafs this playoff, which is apparently a Brad Treliving-issued mandate. Keefe did not tip his hand on whether TJ Brodie will start this series in the press box as the team’s #7 on the blue line. He didn’t confirm Ilya Samsonov as his Game 1 starter (he clearly will be). He also did not clarify William Nylander’s status or that of his other injured players.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Nylander tweaked something on the recent off-day, not during this week’s practices or games. According to Chris Johnston, Nylander woke up on Thursday with discomfort. He did not take part in this morning’s optional skate, and Timothy Liljegren’s answer did not sound optimistic about Nylander’s participation in Game 1.
Nylander’s status looms large over Game 1 for the Maple Leafs — either in terms of whether he plays or how close to 100% he is if he does play. Their plan of attack was based on a three-line balance; it could be Tavares-Marner taking a good amount of the Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak matchup, and Bertuzzi-Matthews-Domi drawing a fair bit of the Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle line. Regardless of how the matchups shake out at the top, a William Nylander-driven third line that exploits matchups against the Morgan Geekie and Jesper Boqvuist-centered bottom-six units of the Bruins is key to the strategy’s success.
With the Bruins starting the series by pairing up Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy (at least to start the game), the Leafs‘ need to exploit mismatches against secondary five-man units from Boston becomes even more accentuated. Now, with the health of Nylander (as well as Bobby McMann) in question, the Leafs‘ on-paper advantage with their forward depth could be muted for Game 1.
That said, if Nylander can’t play, the Leafs have responded really well this season when a star forward has been out of the lineup (particularly on the road), simplifying their approach and dialing in their focus on the details of their five-on-five game over four lines. In a building that will be absolutely rocking, that kind of approach will be important regardless of who is in or out of the lineup, particularly against a Bruins team that showed its ability to sit back patiently, lean on its defense and goaltending, and opportunistically capitalize on the mistakes made by the Leafs throughout the regular-season series.
Maple Leafs’ Keys to Game 1
via Anthony Petrielli
– Can the Leafs neutralize David Pastrnak? He will produce, but he was the best player in all four regular-season games against Toronto, and that can’t continue.
– How will the L3 matchup play out, especially if William Nylander is out? The Leafs’ scoring depth needs to be an advantage.
– Will the Leafs’ penalty kill be aggressive? They’ve been effective when they pressure, but they get worked over when they retreat and allow the opposition to set up. The Boston power play has been awful since the trade deadline. Toronto can’t let them regain confidence early in the series.
– Can the Leafs keep their emotions in check? They want to be physical, but they can’t take undisciplined penalties.
Game Day Quotes
Sheldon Keefe on the importance of getting to the inside against a stingy Bruins team:
We have to work for it. We have to stay with it. We have to stay patient. It is just about work. Whether it is this team or any other, it is the time of year. It is what is required. It is a big emphasis.
We have done a good job of getting to the inside. We have scored a lot of goals from that space all season long. This is one of the teams that makes it the hardest. The time of the year itself makes it a little difficult.
That is the goal for both teams: try to get to each other’s net.
Jim Montgomery on his approach to matchups in Game 1:
You kind of start out with matchups in your head, but I am a big possession coach. A lot of times, faceoffs matter — where they are, who they are — so that we can start with the puck.
Montgomery on whether he has a Plan B in mind for his lines if the game doesn’t start favourably:
Most of it is feel. You can go in with a plan in mind, but if this guy is going or that guy is not going… You have to know who is going to put them in a situation.
If you are going to move a guy up to play with Pasta and Zacha or Coyle and Marchand, they have to be going. They have to be able to handle it mentally playing with those guys.
There are not that many guys you are going to move around, but there are a few guys I have in mind that I know I can move around, and it doesn’t affect their game. Usually, they give momentum to whatever line they go to.
Hampus Lindholm on the different level at playoff time:
The skill guys start to play really tough and hard. The tough guys start making plays. Everyone raises their game to the next level. That is what makes it so fun being out there playing.
Joel Edmundson on what he’s learned about the team in the month and a half since he was acquired by Toronto:
I was always curious about what kind of dressing room was and the guys in it. For me coming in three-quarters of the way through the year, they have made me feel really welcome. It is a great locker room. Everyone is really tight.
You never know when you have the guys making the big money and if they might do their own thing, but no. It is definitely a family in this dressing room. It is nice to see.
We are hanging out in the hotel lounge or going to dinners together. It is cool.
Nick Robertson on the meaning of playing his first NHL playoff game in front of fans:
It is everything. When you are a kid, you want to play in these environments. To be with the Leafs and play Boston in the first game, there is nothing better than that.
John Tavares on the team’s power play entering the playoffs:
We started getting things trending in the right direction. There is a lot of continuity within the group over our time together. It is just sticking with that and not getting caught up too much in how the last few months went. There were a lot of guys in and out at times. We just have to stay with it.
Guy [Boucher] has done a great job of preparing us throughout the season and the ebbs and flows you go through. Things have been trending well for us over the last few games.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs vs. Bruins
In the regular-season statistics, the Leafs hold the advantage over the Bruins in five out of five offensive categories, but the Bruins hold the advantage in three out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines*
Forwards
#59 Tyler Bertuzzi – #34 Auston Matthews – #11 Max Domi
#23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #16 Mitch Marner
#89 Nick Robertson – #29 Pontus Holmberg – #19 Calle Jarnkrok
#24 Connor Dewar – #64 David Kampf – #75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin
#2 Simon Benoit – #22 Jake McCabe
#20 Joel Edmundson – #37 Timothy Liljegren
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Ilya Samsonov
#60 Joseph Woll
Game-time decision: William Nylander
Extras: TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, Conor Timmins, Noah Gregor, Martin Jones, Cade Webber
Injured: Bobby McMann
Boston Bruins Projected Lines*
Forwards
#43 Danton Heinen – #18 Pavel Zacha – #88 David Pastrnak
#63 Brad Marchand – #13 Charlie Coyle – #74 Jake DeBrusk
#94 Jakub Lauko – #39 Morgan Geeke – #11 Trent Frederic
#19 John Beecher – #70 Jesper Boqvist – #61 Patrick Maroon
Defensemen
#27 Hampus Lindholm – #73 Charlie McAvoy
#48 Matt Grzelcyk – #25 Brandon Carlo
#22 Kevin Shattenkirk – #52 Andrew Peeke
Goaltenders
Starter: #1 Jeremy Swayman
#35 Linus Ullmark
Extras: James van Riemsdyk, Parker Wotherspoon, Mason Lohrei
Injured/Out: Justin Brazeau, Milan Lucic, Derek Forbort
*Note: At playoff time, with neither coach forthcoming on lineup decisions or injury situations, the final lineups won’t be known until close to puck drop.
