Maple Leafs not deflecting D-zone talk ahead of Game 1 against Florida

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The Maple Leafs accept that tips and deflections are going to happen.

The crux will be limiting them against the Florida Panthers in the second round.

“It’s going to be tricky at times,” Leafs defenceman Brandon Carlo said. “You’re seeing it more because a lot of guys are getting harder around the net, and in the playoffs, guys are going to the dirty areas, getting into that five-foot box within the net-front region.

“There’s more bodies there, so there’s going to be more deflections. It’s about trying to keep those bodies clear where the goalie can see it.”

In beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round, the Panthers scored two goals off a tip and one off a deflection. Against the Leafs, the Ottawa Senators scored two goals off tips.

While Sens such as Brady Tkachuk and Ridly Greig got in the space of Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz every so often, you can bet the price of a Leafs playoff ticket that the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand will be buzzing around the Leafs net with more regularity.

Blocking shots will play a role. The Leafs blocked 128 shots in the series against Ottawa, the second-most in the Stanley Cup playoffs prior to Game 7 between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. Only the Minnesota Wild, with 130, had blocked more shots than the Leafs.

If Stolarz has a clear view on any shot, the chances are good he’s going to stop it. In the deciding Game 6, neither of the Sens’ two goals came off a direct shot. Brady Tkachuk tipped a shot past Stolarz and David Perron banked a puck in off the goalie from behind the goal line.

“If you look at the playoffs in general, there’s been a lot of goals that are being deflected,” Morgan Rielly said. “There has been lots of traffic at both net fronts, and that will continue to be the case. We’re going to have to focus on that area for sure.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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