Toronto Maple Leafs Have The Pieces To Defeat the Boston Bruins

The Toronto Maple Leafs have what it takes to take down the Boston Bruins.

The first round matchup that’s been locked in place for months is finally set to drop the puck, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins will face off for the second year in a row in the opening round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

A series that went to Game 7 a year ago will see the majority of the main players return for both clubs in the rematch. Only this time it could be argued the Maple Leafs are entering the series with a stronger team than a season ago, given the additional year of experience for their young core as well as the addition of John Tavares.

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Tavares is the biggest difference between the two teams from last year’s opening round series. Toronto is hoping the center will be the missing piece needed to get the club past their division rivals. Given the Maple Leafs entered the third period of Game 7 with the lead in Boston a year ago, it isn’t too farfetched to suggest Tavares’ addition could be the biggest factor in the Maple Leafs winning the rematch.

In 24 playoff games throughout his career, he has recorded 22 points. For the first time in his career won’t be the main focal point of the opposition’s defensive game plan.

Along with Tavares’ line, the Bruins will need to pick and choose who they match the Patrice Bergeron line against, as Auston Matthews’ line threatens to be equally as dangerous.

Matthews is coming off a dismal performance in last year’s playoffs. He recorded only two points in the seven-game series. Since then, Matthews has become the highest paid player on the team. He will no doubt be motivated to not only avenge the loss against the Bruins but also prove he’s worth every penny of his high-priced contract.

A season ago, the Bergeron line did a masterful job of shutting down Matthews and badly outperformed the franchise center and his linemates. This time around, early indications suggest Bergeron will be shadowing Tavares as oppose to Matthews, giving him a significant advantage over whichever remaining Boston line he faces. It’ll be a matchup that heavily favors the Maple Leafs and one Matthews must dominate in order for Toronto to advance.

There’s no question the Bruins’ defensive game as a team is better than the Maple Leafs. However, don’t be surprised if mid-season acquisition Jake Muzzin provides his best performances in the blue and white.

Much has been made of the first-round pick used to acquire Muzzin but this is the defender’s opportunity to shine as the game slows down in the postseason and on-ice space becomes limited.

At 6-foot-3, 216lbs Muzzin is the only blueliner for the Maple Leafs who wasn’t involved in the series last season. He replaces the departed Roman Polak in what is an obvious upgrade for Toronto on paper.

If Muzzin is able to display the same level he showed in helping the Los Angeles Kings capture the Stanley Cup then he could be the second-biggest difference maker for Toronto behind Tavares.

Then there is the all-redemption team for the Maple Leafs as they look to erase the memories from a year ago by avoiding elimination at the hands of the Bruins for the second year in a row.

Jake Gardiner’s game play will be in question all series as he attempts to recover from a back injury while putting the nightmare behind him that was his minus-five performance in last year’s Game 7 loss.

Frederik Andersen, who allowed 23 goals in the series, including six in Game 7 will unquestionably need to be better. Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri will be way ahead of his contributions from last season if he simply doesn’t get suspended for three games after Game 1.

The Maple Leafs will once again enter the series as underdogs but this time around feels different. The club has more firepower compared to a year ago and many of Toronto’s key players didn’t play well in last season’s series while key members of the Bruins could do no wrong.

However, last year’s series still went seven games as the Maple Leafs proved they could win on the road in Boston and as mentioned previously, even had a lead entering the third period in Game 7. Boston may be the favorites as the series begins but Toronto certainly has the pieces to avenge last year’s loss, something that wasn’t as easy to say this time last season.

For more 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage, be sure to check out our Stanley Cup Playoffs page.