Maple Leafs begin familiar playoff script in Game 1 loss

You anticipate it at this level.

It is the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so it is time for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ potent regular-season offense to vanish and for his or her gamers to panic within the glare of the postseason shiny lights and do inexplicable issues on the ice.

And there is a new one this yr: One in all their finest and most sturdy gamers comes up with a thriller damage/sickness two days earlier than the playoff opener and doesn’t play.

That is William Nylander, who had 40 targets and 98 factors, who has missed one regular-season sport over the previous three seasons.

Based on the crew, Nylander started experiencing “discomfort” on the Thursday off day. After which didn’t observe on Friday. 

It is traditional for NHL groups to be coy concerning the precise nature of accidents throughout the playoffs. However it’s often referred to as both a “decrease physique” or “higher physique” damage.  There’s completely no info on no matter’s unsuitable with Nylander. And on Friday coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t even point out whether or not Nylander was or was not prone to play on Saturday.

The recipient of all of that is the Boston Bruins, who took a 1-0 lead within the first-round sequence with a 5-1 win on their dwelling ice at TD Backyard on Saturday night time. The rating may have been a lot worse as a result of the Bruins hit 4 goalposts or crossbars.

Jake DeBrusk had two targets and an help, and John Beecher, Brandon Carlo and Trent Frederic additionally scored for Boston. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves.

David Kampf received Toronto’s lone purpose.

Whereas there’s loads of time for the Maple Leafs to proper themselves, current historical past suggests that’s unlikely to occur. Toronto has been eradicated within the first spherical 5 instances within the final seven seasons.

It did make it out of the primary spherical final yr however the Leafs had been then instantly swept out of the playoffs within the second spherical.

Recreation 2 is Monday at 7 p.m. on the TD Backyard.