The Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs will meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs next week, and in case you’re new here, the two Original Six rivals have done battle in some absolute doozies over the years.
Boston famously won Game 7 each of the last two times the teams met in the playoffs, including a comeback from being down 4-1 in the third period in 2013, and a four-goal explosion in the third period of the decisive game in last year’s first round.
The teams have been on a collision course all season with the Tampa Bay Lightning well out in front and Boston and Toronto solidifying the second and third spots in the Atlantic Division pretty comfortably for some time now.
So, both sides have had time to mentally prepare for what always is a grueling series.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock doesn’t seem too rattled about the first-round draw against the B’s, praising his group for being more prepared this time around.
“Obviously, a year older, guys have been through it and some of our young guys are better players, which is a real positive thing for us,” Babcock said via TSN’s Mark Masters. “Last year seems like a hundred years ago, to be honest with you.”
Toronto is among the most exciting teams in the league with stars like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, who both are just 21 years old. Last year was each of their first tastes of the Maple Leafs-Bruins playoff saga, so it’s not difficult to see them being a little more prepared this time around.
“We’ve grown a lot,” Matthews said, via Masters. “Added pieces, I think a lot of us have grown individually. You try not to look too far ahead, focus on these last three games and really make sure that you’re preparing every night and bringing your ‘A’ game every night. But, obviously, it’s in the back of your mind.”
That said, Boston is led by some of the most playoff-seasoned stars in the league like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask. So yeah, it’s probably going to be another barnburner of a series.
Buckle up.
