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Maple Leafs’ Max Domi (left) battles with Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin during the second period on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Toronto. Photo by Jon Blacker /THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Maple Leafs are about to realize the stark difference between first place and the first round of playoffs.
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And hope there won’t be a disconnect between the two when the ‘real season’ begins Sunday against the Ottawa Senators.
It’s fine to take a day and celebrate the end of a fruitful 82-game schedule, their first division title in 25 years, with new coach Craig Berube’s impact on a 107-point season. But when the Battle of Ontario starts, the pressure is all on the favoured Leafs to get through what’s been a minefield the previous eight years — with just one series win.
The regular season wrapped Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena, with Toronto playing it understandably cautious, which helped the eliminated Detroit Red Wings keep it close before a 6-on-5 goal by Chris Tanev with 1.8 seconds to go in regulation. The Wings, who out-shot the Leafs 34-20, gave up the 4-3 overtime winner to newcomer Scott Laughton.
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Toronto ended with a record of 52-27-4, which crucially put them ahead of recent Stanley Cup champions Florida and Tampa Bay and avoided an opening series with both. But young and playoff-deprived Ottawa, which swept three games from the Leafs this season, will test the confidence and defensive structure that Berube and his staff built into this year’s model.
Unable to rest any stars because of salary cap constraints that will vanish as of Friday, the Leafs did reward fans with a nicely executed first-line goal by Auston Matthews before the Wings closed the book on their own season with a strong effort.
One Leaf who could’ve used a strong outing was netminder Joseph Woll, the projected backup to Anthony Stolarz for Game 1. While sharp early and denying Lucas Raymond on a breakaway, he was the victim of a Dakota Mermis bobble that Austin Watson knocked in to tie the match 1-1. Then Matthews stepped into his line of sight on ex-Leaf Justin Holl’s blueline floater.
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By the game’s halfway stage, Alex DeBrincat added another on the power play with John Tavares whistled twice in the second period.
The crowd should have been grateful that Woll negated an icing and kept play alive instead of freezing the puck a couple of times in a dreary first period to keep the clock running.
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Only in the last couple of minutes was there a true push by the injury-wary Leafs. Philippe Myers started a breakout with a nice chip to Mitch Marner, on to Matthew Knies and finally to Matthews for his 33rd, a nice move in tight on Cam Talbot.
Starting Sunday, Matthews will have to do better than the one goal he was held to by Boston in his five appearances last spring.
Mermis was in his second and final emergency recall game with Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson still out. Myers, who will likely sit Game 1, enlivened the building early in the third with his second of the year, deking two Wings and Talbot.
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