How the Maple Leafs can clinch a playoff spot against Florida Panthers
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Jake McCabe and the Maple Leafs would like to choose a consonant, if they may.
Specifically, an X.
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How the Maple Leafs can clinch a playoff spot against Florida Panthers Back to video
A single point is all that stands between the Leafs and the clinching of a Stanley Cup playoff spot.
The Leafs can add that special letter on Wednesday night when they play host to the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena.
“It’s something that we expect around here,” McCabe said after the majority of Leafs took part in the optional morning skate. “This team has been doing it for a long time, making the playoffs.
“To have an X next to our spot in the standings is always a good feeling. I think we all knew we were going to be in the playoffs, or know we’re going to be in the playoffs, and at this point we’re trying to win our division.”
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Once the Leafs clinch, they will head to the playoffs for the ninth year in a row. It will be the longest streak in the National Hockey League.
There is that, too. The Atlantic Division champion might not be decided until the final night of the regular season, given how tight the standings are among the Leafs, Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Leafs have 94 points, the Lightning 93 and the Panthers 92.
Toronto and Florida meet twice, including Wednesday’s game. The Leafs and Lightning clash once more while the Panthers and Lightning will square off on April 15.
Anthony Stolarz, as expected, will start in goal for the Leafs on Wednesday night.
Coach Craig Berube had an intriguing response when he was asked whether he would consider going with a goaltending rotation in the playoffs, alternating Stolarz and Joseph Woll.
“I never have,” Berube said. “I’ve had to put goalies in, in situations, but that’s something I’ve never done.
“It’s always a question we’ll discuss, and we’ll go over at some point here. Maybe we already have. We’ll see.”
For the Leafs to win on Wednesday, they’re going to have to focus more on their net-front presence than they did on March 13 in the previous game against the Panthers. That night, Florida forward Sam Bennett scored two power-play goals and they were the difference in a 3-2 Panthers victory.
“We have to be stronger around there, recognize the situation a little bit better around the net,” Berube said. “They shoot pucks on the power play from the top and from the sides, flanks. They run a lot of low plays around the net, and they got us twice.”
The Panthers coughed up a late one-goal lead in Montreal on Tuesday and lost 3-2 in overtime against the Canadiens. Since their victory against the Leafs 20 days ago, the Panthers have been inconsistent, going 3-4-1. In the same span, the Leafs are 6-2-1.
That Florida, which did not hold a morning skate, is playing on the second night of a back-to-back set with travel involved didn’t matter to Berube.
“You could catch a team on a back to back where maybe you could take advantage of them, but a lot of times, they’re ready to go,” Berube said. “Some teams come in on a back to back and they actually play a better game the second night. They’re going to be good tonight. It’ll be a tight game. It’ll be a tough game. We want to get to our game as quickly as possible.
“We have to have some energy here tonight, which there should be, and have to understand that we have to be patient with our game and not get frustrated, because they check well.
“There’s not a lot of room out there. We can’t get impatient with the puck and we can’t get frustrated.”
X: @koshtorontosun
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