These Maple Leafs finally look like they know what it takes to win in the postseason

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TORONTO – There is no active player more qualified to assess the state of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff chances than Brad Marchand.

Not only is the Florida Panthers sparkplug currently taking part in his his fifth series against them as an opponent, and fourth in the Matthews/Marner/Nylander era, he’s spent the entirety of a 16-year NHL career playing in the same division.

And after seeing the manner in which Toronto built a 2-0 lead to open this second-round series with the Panthers, Marchand confirmed what a lot of onlookers felt we’ve been seeing this spring: a much more committed, together and structured group that finally seems to have grasped what it takes to get the job done in the playoffs.

“Absolutely,” Marchand said after Toronto’s 4-3 win on Wednesday night. “They’re continuing to get better and grow.”

There are a couple stats worth highlighting that nicely encapsulate the tale of the tape so far in this best-of-seven.

The Leafs are ahead 49-19 in cumulative blocked shots. They’ve absolutely packed the middle of the ice in their own zone and paid the physical price in front of goaltenders Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll – a strategy that can tilt the “deserve-to-win-o-meter” in the wrong direction, particularly when the opponent spends a chunk of the night chasing a comeback, but one Toronto has managed to deploy effectively.

Marchand specifically mentioned a revamped blue line that saw Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo and Oliver Ekman-Larsson added since his Boston Bruins eliminated the Leafs in overtime of Game 7 last spring. He also gave a nod to the stylistic changes he’s noticed since Craig Berube replaced Sheldon Keefe as head coach last May.

“They’re heavy back there and obviously their coaching has changed,” said Marchand. “Their structure is very, very good right now, especially in the D-zone. They don’t give up a whole lot around the net. We knew it was going to be a really tough battle, we didn’t expect to roll over them by any means.

“We have our work cut out.”

Another stat worth mentioning is Toronto’s significant 73-46 edge in the faceoff dot. Those details matter. The Leafs have won 61 percent of draws, including the one at center ice in the third period of Game 2 immediately after Florida tied the score 3-3.

That produced an 18-second sequence that ended with Mitch Marner firing a shot from distance that made its way through traffic and pinged in off iron. The fact a skilled player like Marner even thought to throw that puck towards the goal represents a change in approach for a Leafs team accustomed to seeing its stars grow frustrated when the available ice shrinks on them in the postseason.

“I liked the way we attacked the net tonight, and got to the net and to the blue paint,” said Berube. “That’s what you’ve got to do. We’ve got to get there, and we’ve got to keep getting there and keep getting traffic and keep chucking pucks in there from everywhere. You can’t look for Grade-As.”

Of course, they’ve managed to secure a few of those, too.

The Leafs are poking occasional holes in Florida’s famed forecheck and creating more odd-man rushes than you’d typically expect to see against the defending Stanley Cup champions. William Nylander’s second-period equalizer during Game 2 was an excellent example of that, with Ekman-Larsson’s excellent stick breaking up a Florida pass in the defensive zone and sending him and Max Pacioretty racing up ice together.

Before the period was out, Max Domi put Toronto ahead by finishing a gorgeous Steven Lorentz feed.

“They’re very good on the rush, so you’ve got to be above them,” said Marchand. “It seemed like every time we gave them the opportunity to get above us they capitalized on it. It just shows how dangerous they are. It doesn’t take much for them to score, so we just have to make sure that we’re pretty much perfect out there on our defensive coverage.”

Brad Marchand fights for the puck with William Nylander and John Tavares, albeit in a different uniform than years past. (Claus Andersen / Getty Images)

There is really nothing perfect about how these Leafs play. They’ve been out-attempted at even strength in seven of eight playoff games this spring, and those numbers were particularly crooked in this latest outing with Florida ahead 71-34.

It requires them to find an edge on specialty teams and in goal, where the Stolarz/Woll combination has had a favorable start this series compared to Sergei Bobrovsky. It also demands that they keep putting bodies on the line, whether that’s by fighting through opponents to gain important territory in the offensive zone or laying out to block pucks in their own end.

Quite frankly, these are things the Leafs have never been known for.

One rival scout in attendance at Scotiabank Arena for the Round 1 opener against the Ottawa Senators said he felt the change in approach was unmistakable from what he’s seen in years gone by.

“I will say, this is the best team they have ever had,” the scout told The Athletic. “Mix of players, coach. But we’ll see if they can get over the hump.”

That’s still no guarantee.

The Leafs need to go on the road now with the mindset of winning at least one game at Amerant Bank Arena. Anything less will give the Panthers life. Marchand has 89 career games against the Leafs under his belt and pointed out that he’s learned a playoff series can be heading in one direction before turning on a dime.

“We’re OK in here,” he said. “We have a lot of belief in our group, in our room, in our experience. Obviously they’re fighting for their lives. They came ready to play in this round.

“We see that.”

(Top photo of Mitch Marner and Chris Tanev: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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