Game 1 of the first-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning begins on Tuesday, April 18, in Toronto. Given the two team’s regular season records, the Maple Leafs are slight favorites in almost everyone’s books.
As a team, the Lightning have been struggling this season. That said, they have had a strong playoff record over the past few seasons. And anything can happen in the playoffs. Tampa Bay has shown they can win regularly in the postseason, but it remains to be seen whether they can continue that success for a fourth season in a row.
As the two teams prepare for the series, in this edition of Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll look at some of the player news and moves the team has made to prepare.
Item One: Wayne Simmonds Might Be Getting Ready, Just in Case
Wayne Simmonds has been recalled from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Toronto Marlies. He’s expected to start the playoffs as an extra for the Maple Leafs. Simmonds has had a solid season so far, recording two assists, 44 hits, and 49 PIM in 18 games with the team. It will be interesting to see how Simmonds might contribute during the playoffs.
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According to Ray Ferraro, a former TSN analyst who now works for ESPN in the United States, Tampa Bay is expected to play a physical and aggressive game against the Maple Leafs in their first-round rematch. Although Ferraro believes Toronto has gained enough experience and resilience from their past losses to handle the pressure and toughness of the Lightning, he warns that the biggest threat for Toronto is getting caught up in Tampa’s physical style of play and losing focus on their own game.
If Ferraro is correct, where might that put Simmonds? Last season, as Maple Leafs’ fans will recall, the Maple Leafs tried to counter with Simmonds and Kyle Clifford. It didn’t work out that well because of the penalties taken.
Item Two: Ilya Samsonov Good to Go for Game One
Ilya Samsonov is good to go for Game 1 tomorrow. Samsonov missed the last two games of the regular season, but he’ll get the start in goal for the Maple Leafs.
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Samsonov had a solid regular season. In fact, it was his best season ever. He finished with a 27-10-5 record, a 2.33 goals-against-average, and a .919 save percentage. He seems loaded and ready to fire. He’s already confidently said that his team is the best in the NHL. We’ll see if he can make it so.
Item Three: Matt Murray Is Back on His Skates
Matt Murray has started to skate over the last few days. It was finally admitted that Murray had suffered a concussion on April 2 against the Detroit Red Wings. He missed the final six games of the regular season.
That he’s on his skates doesn’t mean that he’ll dress for Game 1 of the playoffs. Young Joseph Woll will be ready as Samsonov’s backup. Murray finished the regular season with a 14-8-2 record, a 3.01 goals-against-average, and a .903 save percentage. Right now, he’s considered day-to-day.
Item Four: Sam Lafferty Is Returning
Sam Lafferty practiced yesterday. He had missed the last three games of the regular season because he flew to Arizona to be with his wife, who delivered their first child. Congratulations to him and his family.
Lafferty scored 12 goals and added 15 assists this season was practicing on the fourth line.
Item Five: The Core Four’s Regular-Season Scoring
As almost all NHL fans know, the Maple Leafs are led by a strong group of forwards, often referred to as the “Core Four.” This group includes William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares. Each member of the group had solid seasons.
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Overall, for both right-wingers in this group, Marner played in 80 games and scored 30 goals while adding 69 assists (for a total of 99 points). He also had a plus-18 rating and averaged 21:17 per game. Nylander played in all 82 games and scored 40 goals while adding 47 assists (for a total of 87 points). He had a plus-10 rating and averaged 18:33 per game.
Of the two centers of the Core Four, Matthews played 74 games and scored 40 goals while adding 45 assists (for a total of 85 points). He had a rating of plus-31 and played an average of 20:17 per game. Finally, Tavares played in 80 games and scored 36 goals while adding 44 assists (for a total of 80 points). He had a rating of minus-7 and played an average of 17:39 per game.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
As almost every hockey analyst has called it, the challenge for the Maple Leafs is to beat Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. And, if they can’t beat the Lightning’s goalie, they can’t beat the Lightning in the playoffs.
Vasilevskiy is considered one of the best goalies in the league and has a track record of postseason success. However, the Maple Leafs have a strong offensive group; and, if they can find ways to generate high-quality scoring chances, they can get the better of Vasilevskiy.
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As for Samsonov, he’s had a strong season statistically. Still, it remains to be seen how he’ll perform in the high-pressure context of the playoffs. In the playoffs, a hot goalie can determine the outcome of an entire series.
Obviously, the Maple Leafs need to play their best hockey. If they can, they’ll find ways to capitalize on their chances. That’s the tipping point, If they can beat Vasilevskiy, they’ll advance.