Maple Leafs first round matchup preview!

They will face the top seeded Capitals.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Maple Leafs first round matchup preview!
Canada.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013! It took them 81 games to finally clinch their spot, but they did it and now they’ll take on the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals in a first round playoff matchup that should provide the Leafs with all they can handle.

The puck drops on game one Thursday, April 13th at 7pm ET from Washington D.C.’s Verizon Center. Game two goes Saturday, April 15th at 7pm ET before the series switches venues to Toronto’s Air Canada Centre for games three and four on Monday, April 17th and Wednesday, April 19th; both 7pm start times. Should the series go further, games five, six and seven are scheduled for Friday, April 21st, Sunday, April 23rd and Tuesday, April 25th.

On paper the Leafs are sorely outmatched by the Capitals and enter the series as heavy underdogs. While the Leafs have impressed this season, they simply lack the offensive firepower and all-around game of the Capitals. The team’s rookie trio of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander have led the way for most of the season and will need to continue their torrid pace if the Leafs are to stand a chance against a stacked Capitals roster. 

In fairness, Marner and Matthews have both taken their games to the next level when facing the Caps, with 5 points and 3 points, respectively, in 3 games this season. Unfortunately for the Leafs, their record is 2-1 against the Capitals this season and that includes a 4-1 drubbing last week in Washington.

Do the Leafs have what it takes to continue their storybook season? Or, has the clock struck midnight on their fairytale?


Source: NHL.com