With two games remaining, the Leafs are locked into third in the Atlantic Division.
On top of that, as early as Monday night, they could know their first round opponent, too.
Now it’s all about Auston Matthews potting No. 70 and maintain health ahead of Game 1 on Saturday night.
Carter Hutton filled in for Jay Rosehill on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We kicked off the show by discussing the big news that for the first time in a few years, Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph will be traveling in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a long time coming, and we’ll leave it at that. Additionally, we dissected a couple of prospect signings in the former of Nicolas Mattinen and Chas Sharpe.
Presented by DoorDash, the Appetizer focused on the rollercoaster 5-4 OT loss against Detroit on Saturday night. Matthews notched No. 69 while Ilya Samsonov struggled again allowing five goals on 32 shots. Hutts broke his game down. Also, Bobby McMann left the game in the first period with a lower body injury, so we talked about what that could mean for Nick Robertson. Matthew Knies will need to step up, too. Meantime, it was another rough outing for T.J. Brodie. All in all, it’s been another rough year for the 33-year-old pending unrestricted free agent. At this point, he’s become a liability. It will be interesting to see what Toronto’s roster looks like for their postseason opener —that’s for sure.
After that, thanks to our friends over at Charm Diamond Centres, we combed through the latest news and notes surrounding the team. Firstly, Matt Murray was sent to the Marlies on a conditioning stint. The Leafs could have four healthy goalies to begin the playoffs. Let that sink in. We also broke down the minor, nagging injuries for Joel Edmundson and Max Domi. Indisputably, both guys will be massive here. They need to be right. Calle Jarnkrok was spotted at practice, too. He didn’t skate with the main roster, though.
Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll preview game 81 in Sunrise, which could prove to be a dress rehearsal and preview for Round 1.
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