TORONTO – All of the doubts, all of the angst, all of the anger and frustration and bewilderment that has been Toronto Maple Leafs hockey this last decade?
It’s all gone.
This is truly the dawn of a new era for the Maple Leafs, who are headed to the playoffs in their first season with a rebuilt core.
“I told the coaches at the start of the year that if we got in it was going to be tomorrow in Game 82,” Mike Babcock said after a stomach-turning 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night. “I thought it would be like this – you have to really crawl in at the end. We’re one game ahead of schedule.
“But, to be honest with you, I didn’t know the kids could be this good.”
No one did. No one could.
They have lifted the franchise further, and faster, then Brendan Shanahan or Lou Lamoriello or Babcock once thought reasonable.
When everything hung in the balance against the Penguins – after No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen had been knocked out of the game with an injury, and Jake Guentzel put the visitors ahead on a goal that pinballed off the skates of Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner – it was the kids that pulled them through.
Kasperi Kapanen scored the first goal of his NHL career, Connor Brown got the 20th of his unheralded rookie season and Auston Matthews hit the big No. 40 all inside the final six minutes of regulation.
“It was unbelievable, especially that third period,” said Matthews. “Kappy’s goal, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a building go that loud. Even in Switzerland – where there’s some pretty rowdy buildings and they’re chanting the whole game – I think those last 10 minutes is probably the rowdiest I’ve ever seen a hockey arena.”
They have only just begun.
Toronto has an opportunity to book a first-round matchup with Ottawa if it can earn at least a point in Sunday’s season finale against Columbus. Otherwise, the Leafs will draw a much tougher opponent in the Washington Capitals.
Babcock will ensure they are not merely satisfied with breaking through the playoff wall. There is an opportunity here to play beyond the first round, especially if they stay on the Atlantic Division side of the bracket beginning with a Senators team nursing all kinds of injuries on the blue-line.
Of immediate concern for the Leafs will be the status of Andersen, who the coach says will “ideally” start on Sunday. He didn’t sound too sure.
Andersen was knocked out of a game for the second time in two weeks after taking a blow to the head from Tom Sestito – a journeyman known to dabble in grey – when he cut in front of the goal and jumped slightly, catching the Dane with his thigh.
Curtis McElhinney came on in relief, one of several potentially ominous signs Leafs fans encountered on a tense, drama-filled night.
After missing out on two other opportunities to clinch earlier in the week, there was an elevated level of concern amongst the fan base. We even had the requisite ghosts of disappointing years gone by in the building – with Phil Kessel opening the scoring for Pittsburgh and former GM Brian Burke watching from the press box.
However, these aren’t the same old Leafs.
James van Riemsdyk scored on a dazzling, circus-like effort shortly after Kessel put the Penguins on the board. Kapanen picked a timely moment to answer Guentzel’s fluky goal. And McElhinney, the career backup, absolutely robbed Sidney Crosby in the final minute before Matthews hit the empty net.
“It’s kind of funny,” said van Riemsdyk. “I feel like that game was kind of a good representation of our season to date. Just kind of kept playing, kept fighting, obviously got down early and just kept finding a way.”
They announced themselves officially as the group who could eventually wipe away a generation’s worth of bad memories. Fair or not, those still reside deep within the psyche of hockey fans in this city.
Babcock started getting stopped in his condo building frequently over the last week and seems to have the pulse of the fans.
“I think for them, as much as getting in the playoffs (now) is important, they see the future,” he said.
The present looks awfully good for a team featuring seven rookies that finished 30th overall a year ago. They’ve made a 26-point improvement since last season and will get to experience the playoffs as a result.
“It means everything,” said Matthews.
Now that they’re here, what are they capable of?
“We’ll see,” said defenceman Roman Polak. “Time will tell.”
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