With their victory over Boston in the final game of the regular season, the Maple Leafs will officially face off against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in round one as they pursue their first playoff series victory since 2004. The series will start on Monday in Toronto with games to follow every other day from there.
Anthony succinctly summarized the challenge facing the Leafs against Tampa earlier this week: “They can play any which way, and that’s probably the scariest thing about them. They can win on all levels: special teams, skill, grind-it-out defense, elite goaltending — you name it, they can do it.