from Like Fox of Sportsnet.,
The count is 1-0 for both the Boston Bruins and the can't-flip-a-switch crowd.
For all the talk of clean slates, brand-new years, and meaningless regular seasons, so many of the worrisome hallmarks of the Toronto Maple Leafs' scuffle down the stretch reared their ugly head in a tidy 5-1 victory for the home side in Game 1 on Saturday.
Asked before puck drop what his group had learned from its 0-2-2 regular-season series against the B's, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe quipped: "We learned what doesn't work."
Well, the Leafs took a refresher course Saturday, as the vociferous TD Garden fans razzed "Sam-soooon-ov!" with glee, partied to five rounds of "Kernkraft 400," and left the barn chanting "Olé! Olé! Olé!"
from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,
Never mind that the Maple Leafs didn’t have William Nylander in the first game of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Where were Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner at TD Garden in Boston against the Bruins? Where was the solid goaltending that was being provided by Ilya Samsonov in the second half of the regular season?
hat was being provided by Ilya Samsonov in the second half of the regular season?
The best-of-seven series couldn’t have started much worse for the Leafs on Saturday night, falling in Game 1 by a score of 5-1.
When Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman made a quick pad save on Nick Robertson 90 seconds after the opening faceoff, it served notice that the Boston starter was going to be in a groove.
Not so with Samsonov, who was stuck in rut at the other end.
Below, watch the TSN panel on game 1.
from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,
Saturday night in Boston looked like last year in Florida and the year before in Tampa and the result of Game 1 wasnt so much stunning in conclusion as it was the same old song, the same tune with a different opponent in a different year.
The Leafs beats themselves up at TD Garden and the Bruins beat them up and when werent doing that, they were tripping over themselves on the way to a complete 5-1 punch-to-the-gut loss to the Bruins.
The Bruins were the Bruins. They are what Denny Green says they are. Theyre not a surprise.
The Leafs came out trying to be the Bruins. And they got overly aggressive and sloppy. That isnt their game and it isnt who they are. It isnt what will make them successful, if they are to have any success in this opening-round series.
more
Pretty evident that Boston tanked at the end of the regular season to get a matchup with Toronto.
and they very well should have.
Not saying this wont go 7, but Toronto is the team you want to face in the playoffs. Their top guys just dont show up.
Boston really played physical and fast. The Leafs cannot match the physical play of the Boohens but certainly the speed plus skill. To DCA point above, the Leafs top players need to show up and act like they want the Stanley Cup more than anything in the world.
For time saving for all concerned, I will save you the 17:24 Steve Dangle rant and say what he said in conclusion:
If the goaltending wasn't good enough, the defense wasn't good enough, the depth wasn't good enough, and the stars weren't good enough, what is this hockey team other than something you should stuff into a cannon, and fire into the moon.
Another SD classic
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