For the second time in 21 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs are off to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It wasn’t pretty but they got the job done.
Obviously, we were very jacked up to start the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. All in all, it was a hard-fought six game series. Ottawa’s a very good team, but without question, they’re not the Florida Panthers. Round 2 is going to be an all-out war. It’s going to be difficult, uncomfortable, and fierce. It’s time to see what this Leafs team is really made of.
Brought to you by RVezy, we recapped the 4-2 Game 6 victory. Celebrating his 29th birthday, William Nylander tallied two goals and an assist. Meantime, Auston Matthews kicked off the scoring in the first period with a PP tally. Additionally, Max Pacioretty scored the game winner. In fact, it was the fourth career series clinching goal for the former Montreal Canadiens captain. On top of that, Anthony Stolarz made 21 saves —including plenty of big-time stops in the third period. And so, the Leafs are now 2-13 in potential series clinching games since 2017. Much better. Baby steps.
After that, courtesy Charm Diamond Centres, Maple Leafs legend Wendel Clark dropped by the show. We got his thoughts on the series victory, the Core Four making a significant impact on the series clinching win, and Matthew Knies’ evolution as a player. Additionally, we talked new school vs. old school. Wendel joked that he just wants everyone to have fun. Ha ha!
Through the podcast, we began to preview the Leafs/Panthers series, which is expected to get going on Monday night in Toronto. The PR battle between Craig Berube and Paul Maurice will be a fascinating one —that’s for sure. Furthermore, we think the Leafs need to relish the underdog role in the series. It’s going to be tough, but indisputably, this team is good enough to achieve anything.
To wrap, we got to the CRISPI HOT TAKE OF THE DAY, presented by the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer. Producer Vick called Chris Tanev the most important player on the Leafs.
At any rate, we’re going to kick back, enjoy the weekend, and get set for Round 2. Join us on Monday at 11 AM ET as we preview Game 1.
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