If you think the Toronto Maple Leafs path to success is more psychological than anything else, don’t fool yourself — the Bruins are not in their head.
They do not view them as some mythical boogeyman they have to slay, recent history between the two franchises be damned.
“We’re confident in our group and we believe we can go out there and play with anyone," defenseman Morgan Rielly told Sporting News on Monday. "If you look back at last year, we are a different team. Granted there is history because of the playoff series but you cannot compare it. You can’t help but think about last year a little bit but that being said, they’re a different team and we’re a different team now and it’s important that we realize that.
"It’s important that we have confidence in ourselves and believe in ourselves going into the series.”
That history Rielly refers to between the two teams has not been kind to Toronto. Last season, after getting licked 5-1 in Game 1 and 7-3 in Game 2, the Maple Leafs ended up down 3-1 in the series before clawing back to force Game 7 where they held a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes only to give up four unanswered third-period goals to lose 7-4. It was a crushing defeat.
Of course surrendering a 4-1 lead midway through the third period in Game 7 back in 2013 — only Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri remain from that team — is still ripe in the minds of many Maple Leafs fans.
Rielly is right though. The Maple Leafs have made the most notable additions on paper since last season, adding John Tavares and Jake Muzzin into the mix. Their top two centers last season had virtually no impact on the series with Kadri being suspended three games and Auston Matthews putting up only two points in seven games. That is not likely to happen again.
Mitch Marner remembers that game in 2013; Now in his third season, he played in the series in 2018, leading the team in scoring with nine points (two goals, seven assists). He does not consider the history relevant to what lays ahead of the team though.
“I think it’s something more that fans think like that,” Marner told Sporting News. “For us, it doesn’t matter who you play, you want to beat them. This is a big rivalry though against this team for the last couple of years. We know this team very well, we know how they play. It’s just making sure we’re not beating ourselves and making smart plays with the puck.”
Even the season series this year could be forgotten with the Bruins taking three of four games. Though as Boston proved last year when Toronto won three of four during the regular season, the season series does not much matter.
In an ideal world, would Toronto have preferred a different first-round opponent? Maybe so, but you are not going to find a soul in the Maple Leafs locker room to admit to that. If they’re going to get to where they want to go, they’ll have to beat good teams along the way.
“You’ve got to go through everybody at some point,” said Jake Gardiner, who was minus-5 in Game 7 last season. “I’ve been on teams that lost to those guys twice now so hopefully we can get it done this year.”
The most effective way for the Maple Leafs to put this storyline to bed is to get out to a better start in the series and avoid chasing it the way they did for much of the time last year.
Asked if he could pick one thing he would like to see the team do better in the first two games in Boston this season, Rielly did not hesitate.
“Maybe win one,” he noted. “We’ll be more prepared this year having the experience from last year [and] I think we’ll be better prepared going into that building in Games 1 and 2, more comfortable and more confident in our position. Hopefully, that shows.”
Throughout much of Game 1 and 2 last season, the Maple Leafs seemed overwhelmed by the hostility at TD Garden in Boston and sat back while the Bruins came at them in waves. Head coach Mike Babcock scoffed at the notion of the hostility being too much to handle for his team and instead pointed out the series will ultimately come down to which team executes the best.
“As much as you say it’s a hostile environment, I’ve never seen a fan play yet,” Babcock said. “It’s going to be on the ice, amongst two teams. They know what we’re about and we know what they’re about and now we have to go out and execute and make it happen."
"There’s going to be moments in the game where they have momentum so it’s, just don’t do anything silly, just be patient and play. That patience we can all talk about but sometimes you have to go through it to figure out and understand what it’s about. Take care of the puck and play well defensively and you’re going to get all the offense you ever dreamed about.”
Of any player crucial to the Maple Leafs success, it is probably the most important for goalie Frederik Andersen to stay out of his own head. He was not good during the playoffs last season, putting up a goals-against average of 3.76 and a save percentage of .896. But Andersen knows spending too much time thinking about last year won’t do him much good this year.
“I think the only people really talking about it are the media and that’s obviously what you’re paid to do. You guys love throwing out comparisons and history and all that,” Andersen told Sporting News. “As a player, you’re just worrying about game tape of maybe the game you just played and if there’s anything you can learn from it or not and then you move forward and look at what you might see in the next game.”
Now 29-years-old with 41 playoff games under his belt, he said he has become more efficient with the mental side of his game. He has put the work in during practice and has prepared to the greatest possible extent and that what he plans to have in mind come puck drop in Game 1 on Thursday.
“As you go on further in your career, you get more mature and more confident in the way you process things, I’ve found a way to park it better and use it in the right way,” Andersen said. “Instead of dropping your shoulders, you come in with an upbeat mood and try to lift the spirit of the group. Let’s say you have a tough game, you still come in and bring good energy and focus on what you are going to accomplish the next day.
"That’s really how you set yourself up for success, you do your good work in the days leading up and that should give you the confidence to perform in the games.”