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Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Reflecting on the Maple Leafs’ Loss to the Bruins

Originally posted on Old Prof Hockey | Last updated 5/5/24

Reflecting on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ loss to the Boston Bruins in the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs, several key reasons contributed to their defeat.

Reason One: The Maple Leafs Early Series Defensive Vulnerabilities

While the Maple Leafs displayed commendable defensive efforts in the latter part of the series, particularly in the final three games, by then, they had already placed themselves behind the eight ball. Throughout the earlier games, defensive breakdowns, lapses in coverage, and struggles with clearing the defensive zone plagued the team. That allowed the Bruins to capitalize on scoring opportunities and gain momentum. Coming back from a 3-1 series deficit was tough.

Reason Two: Special Teams Performance

Special teams often play a pivotal role in playoff matchups, and in this series, the Maple Leafs faltered in both aspects. Their power play, a strength during the regular season, struggled to capitalize on opportunities and generate momentum-shifting goals. Conversely, their penalty kill unit struggled to stymie the Bruins’ power play, allowing crucial goals at inopportune times. In a tight playoff series, special teams can often be the difference-maker, and Toronto’s lackluster performance in both areas – with the man advantage and down a man – hurt their chances.

Reason Three: Inconsistent Goaltending from Ilya Samsonov

Goaltending is always a crucial factor in playoff success, and unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, only one of their goaltenders – Joseph Woll – played well. Ilya Samsonov played a solid Game 7 but could not keep David Pastrnak from scoring in overtime. Early in the series, Samsonov struggled with consistency. Whether it was untimely soft goals, an inability to develop key saves in critical moments, or being outplayed by the opposing goaltender – Jeremy Swayman, Samsonov could not provide the steady, reliable performance needed to lead his team to victory. In a series where every goal matters, goaltending can make or break a team’s chances, and for the Maple Leafs, it proved to be a significant factor in their defeat.

Reason Three: The Maple Leafs Experienced Scoring Woes

Another concern was the team’s inability to score enough goals. Despite generating scoring chances, the Maple Leafs struggled to capitalize on them. Too often, they failed to convert key chances into goals. Sometimes, it was missed shots, their inability to beat Swayman or a lack of finish. Whatever it was, Toronto found themselves unable to put enough pucks in the net to match the offensive output of the Bruins. In playoff hockey, timely goal-scoring makes all the difference. Sadly for the Maple Leafs, their struggles in this area ultimately contributed to their downfall.

Reflecting on the Round One Series, It Could Have Been Different

As the Maple Leafs and their fans reflect on this series, addressing these issues will be crucial as they prepare for another season and seek to make another playoff run. In the close aftermath of the series loss, it’s impossible not to focus on what might have been.

This article first appeared on Old Prof Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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