Maple Leafs embracing the opportunity as playoff pressure ramps up

TORONTO — On the first official day of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ new post-season march, the first chance for the team to reconvene with the regular season firmly in the rear-view, the message was clear: Embrace the opportunity.

“A lot of work’s been put into this year, and the journey to this point,” captain John Tavares said on the heels of an hour-long skills session at Ford Performance Centre Saturday. “We get a chance to compete in the playoffs. … You can just tell, the energy and the vibe around the building today. We’re getting extremely close, so we’re excited about that.”

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Surely tugging at the sleeves of that excitement is the undeniable pressure that sits on these Maple Leafs’ shoulders as they approach another brutal first-round test. On Tuesday night, Tavares’ club begins yet another best-of-seven rematch with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the latter looking to reach their fourth straight Cup Final, the Leafs fighting to avoid falling in the first round for the seventh consecutive year.

Add to those everything-on-the-line stakes the bigger-picture weight of this franchise’s post-season history, the decades since it’s won a playoff series, the eras since it lifted the Cup, and it all seems a bit daunting. For those in the room, the only way forward is tunnel vision.

“All we can do is prepare for what’s in front of us, and the opportunity that we have at hand,” the captain said. “We know we have an incredible fanbase, an organization that has a tremendous, rich history that is really special. So, you know, don’t let the pressure outweigh the pleasure of this opportunity, and the excitement that we have to go out and compete, and everything we’ve done to earn this. 

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“All we can do is prepare for what’s ahead, and be at our best when we meet this challenge.”

Even after a near-decade of Leafs Nation’s hopes falling flat in the post-season’s opening round, there is hope still in the newest iteration of this group. Another year older, wiser, with another year of hard post-season lessons burned into them, Sheldon Keefe’s squad looks ready to take another swing.

And this time, they might just have the help they need, starting with netminder Ilya Samsonov — the roll-the-dice backup option GM Kyle Dubas brought in alongside Matt Murray in the off-season, who’s emerged as the team’s clear No. 1 heading into the games that matter. Through 42 appearances in blue and white on the year, the 26-year-old finished the regular season with a career-best .919 save percentage, collecting four shutouts along the way.

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“He’s just been really composed all season long,” Keefe said of Samsonov, who appears a lock to man the net in Game 1. “It hasn’t been a perfect season for him. It’s been a great season, but it hasn’t been a perfect season. At times, he had to deal with some adversity, he had to regroup and reconnect with his structure and the foundation that he put in place in the off-season and early in this season. He’s had to find his way in the season to get success on the road, and closed out the season tremendously in that regard.”

“And our team’s played well in front of him. Guys are confident and comfortable playing in front of him. I think with all those things combined, he’s ready.”

It’s been an unexpected ascent for the former Washington Capital, who came in as somewhat of a question mark as the Maple Leafs rebuilt their goaltending corps in the wake of Jack Campbell’s departure. While both newcomers were offered an even shot at the No. 1 role for much of the season, injuries and steady play slowly pushed Samsonov to the head of the pack.

“He came in just trying to get a sense of things, get a feel for his surroundings, and I think he’s just really blossomed,” Tavares said of the netminder. “His personality, his confidence on and off the ice, and just the comfort level he has with his game, how he’s fit in really well in the locker room, and the respect that we have for him just as a competitor — I think you’ve seen that really grow. Just the competitive fire that he has, and the ability, no doubt is great. 

“All that has kind of meshed together really well. When challenges have come, he’s faced them extremely well and has responded great, and that’s a great sign for him and his growth here this year. He’s an important piece of our success.”

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There’s no question he’ll be a vital piece of it, particularly given the behemoth of an opponent Toronto must get by if they hope to finally break their first-round curse: a veteran Lightning team that’s proven to be one of the hardest outs in the game for three years now. A Lightning team that proved just a little more savvy, a little more composed, as they outlasted Toronto last year.

The Maple Leafs hope they’ve made up that ground with the addition of Ryan O’Reilly, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner bringing his own Cup-lifting experience to the fold this time around.

“Having a deep run before, I think that can help for sure,” the veteran pivot said Saturday. “Every year’s different, the team’s completely different, but still I think it just gives me confidence going in. I know what it should look like. … It’s something that I don’t even know how to explain — it’s decisions that you make at the right times. Obviously going up against Tampa, they’ve been the best team in hockey for three years. They know how to win. It’s going to take our best.”

Luke Schenn, who joined O’Reilly in the group of trade-deadline acquisitions the Maple Leafs brought in to bolster their chances, knows the test ahead well, the weathered defender having suited up alongside the Lightning for their two recent Cup runs. 

And while some among the Maple Leafs faithful might be writing off his former squad after a season that’s seen Tampa navigate a slew of injuries and look a slight step below their usual level, Schenn cautioned against paying too much attention to how they got here. All that is important is what happens next.

“In the playoffs, it’s mind over matter,” the defenceman said. “You look at different paths and schedules and how many games guys have played, but at the end of the day, each individual’s gone through their own things. Some guys are healthy, some guys are banged up. 

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a grind, whichever way you look at it.”

For Keefe, all that matters now is ensuring his group is ready to endure the mental battle that comes with that unending grind. That these Leafs are able to be the team they’re capable of being, the team they have been of late, with everything on the line.

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“Right now it’s about making sure we remain connected to [our] identity,” the coach said Saturday. “That’s really what the regular season’s about, particularly for a team like ours, is to develop that over the course of the season. … You develop it during the regular season and in the playoffs, it’s about adhering to it. Being confident in who you are. 

“We’ve established ourselves as an elite team in the league. We need to go out there and be respectful of our opponent, and know what the challenge is, but remain connected to what we do well.”

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