NHL Playoffs: The Maple Leafs look to go deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs as the top team up North
Toronto, Canada - The Toronto Maple Leafs are riding their division title into the playoffs, with the hopes of winning the Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs have had a great campaign, leading the NHL's all-Canadian North Division for the better part of the regular season. They come into the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as one of the better teams in the league that could make a deep run toward hoisting the cup in June.
Led by the league's regular-season goal-scoring king Auston Matthews (23), the Leafs are in control north of the border. The opening round of the playoffs pits the Maple Leafs up against their Original Six rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Jack Campbell is projected to be in net for the Leafs, after having the best season out of Toronto's three netminders. He went 17-3 with two shutouts, including a record-setting winning streak of 11 wins between the pipes.
Tyler Toffoli led the Canadiens with 28 goals and a total of 44 points for the season. He's joined by Jeff Petry and his team-leading 30 assists. Their goaltending situation might be a little up in the air with veteran Carey Price being listed as day-to-day, which leaves only Jake Allen available.
The Maple Leafs are considered heavy favorites to move into the second round and face either the Jets or the Oilers.
How did both teams fare during the regular season?
The Maple Leafs were definitely the better team during their regular-season matchups, having won over twice as many games as the Habs. To add, Toronto had a nine-goal differential in their matchups. Montreal couldn't get it done in the majority of the games, but one bright spot might be that they were never shut out by the Leafs.
It was a tale of two different teams during the course of the season, where the Leafs held firm at the top of the division, and at one time in April, held the NHL's best record. The Canadiens weren't as fortunate, lacking in consistency during the year. They just managed to hold on to the last playoff spot up north, even though they finished on a five-game losing streak.
The first game in their playoff series takes place tonight in Toronto, starting 7.30 PM EST.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Icon SMI