Who is this team, and where have they been?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a huge impact in the first two games of the series against Ottawa. For the first time since 2002, the Leafs are leading the series 2-0. While there are many reasons for this change in momentum, some key factors have been more influential, so let's go back to the beginning of the season. 

This season, the Leafs made a lot of changes; they got a new head coach, Craig Berube, who has a very different coaching style compared to the previous head coach, Sheldon Keefe. Craig Berube prioritizes open communication and holds his athletes accountable for their actions while also providing them with an opportunity to better themselves. One key difference that has been seen this season is the passion that has been brought to the team and fan base. Toronto has always been a passionate city, especially when it comes to the Leafs, but this season the Leafs have found a new passion for themselves that seems to have given the fanbase a new sense of life and hope. While Toronto has some incredible offensive players like Centre Auston Matthews, Right Wing Mitch Marner, and Left Wing Matthew Knies, this season we have seen a heavy focus on defense. With defenseman like Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, and Simon Benoit, we have seen just how impactful they are during games. With such a focus on defense, it gives everyone else the opportunity to tighten their game, and that's exactly what they have done; the Leafs have become more physical and have been able to capitalize on power plays and other scoring opportunities. 

Another change that has made a drastic difference to the Leafs is the guy in the net. This season, the Leafs have gotten one of the greatest goalie tandems in Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. Early in the year, fans were skeptical of Stolarz as he plays such an important position, and weren’t sure how he would fit in with the team and fanbase. Stolarz was then quickly favoured as fans saw just how passionate he was to be playing for the Leafs, with him in the net, fans felt like they had more of a fighting chance. Woll has also been at the top of his game in providing fans and his teammates with a sense of security in the net. This season, Berube had them on alternating starts and eventually had Stolarz as the starting goalie in the playoffs. As we can see now, that was a great decision so far, he has a save percentage of .934%. 

While this season has been filled with its ups and downs, one member of the Leafs went on a side quest and won a championship for Canada during the Four Nations. With Sidney Crosby as his captain, Mitch Marner was not gonna disappoint. Marner got the overtime goal in their first game against Sweden, giving them the 4-3 win. Not only was he a driving force in the first game, but he also had the 1st assist on Connor McDavid's winning goal in the final game against the USA. After the Four-Nations, it seemed everyone had a little extra fuel in their tank. Marner himself had a newfound confidence when it came to finding the back of the net. After 4- Nation Marner secured his first 100+ point season, ending the regular season with 102 points. 

During the regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs were unable to find their way to a win against the Ottawa Senators. It seems something has clicked for them as they have the 2-0 lead in the series. In the first game of the playoffs, the Leafs came out like a whole new team, they seemed more aggressive and eager. Oliver Ekman-Larson and Mitch Marner scored two early goals, setting the tone for the rest of the game. The Senators gave up 6 power plays by the end of the night, which contributed to 3 out of 6 goals for the Leafs. Penalty trouble was a major issue for Ottawa in Game 1, leading to three Leafs power-play goals. Heading into Game 2, the Senators tightened up their game, only offering one power-play opportunity, which John Tavares quickly took advantage of. Brady Tkachuk started the scoring for the Senators with his first playoff goal late in the second period. This shifted the momentum a bit for Ottawa. Aside from the late goal Anthony Stolarz was at the top of his game, he made 26 saves. After the game was tied 2-2, Stolarz made an incredible glove save with 2:06 left in the game to send it into overtime.  This season, the Leafs were 11-4 for overtime wins. Nonetheless, going into overtime during the playoffs is nothing but stressful, but not for Max Domi, who was calm and found the back of the net 3:49 minutes into OT.  

The Leafs will travel to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday, April 24th at 7:00 pm at the Canadian Tire Centre. Tune in to see just how far the Leafs can extend their lead or if the Ottawa Senators will be able to bounce back and cut their lead in half.