On an off-day between Games 2 and 3, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery discussed losing defenseman Andrew Peeke for the rest of the series, the areas where he wants to see improvement from his team, and the challenge of shutting down Auston Matthews. How tough is the news about Andrew Peeke’s injury? Montgomery: It is […] The post Jim Montgomery on Auston Matthews’ impact on the series: “I’ve been impressed by how tenacious he’s been on pucks and how relentless he’s been on the forecheck… He’s the most dangerous man on the ice because he’s earned it” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

A late-season slump (2-1-4) ensured the Toronto Marlies would not only face the lottery of the best-of-three first-round series but also forgo home-ice advantage. Let’s be real. The extended playoff format and a best-of-three series is a lottery, and winning the first game is almost everything. Of the 14 series played since the American Hockey […] The post 2024 Calder Cup First-Round Playoff Preview: Toronto Marlies vs. Belleville Senators appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

On an off day on Tuesday, Sheldon Keefe discussed the contributions of John Tavares & Mitch Marner’s line through the first two games of the series, the challenge against Boston’s power play, and the latest on William Nylander. What can John Tavares and Mitch Marner’s line do to generate a little more possession in the […] The post Sheldon Keefe on the performance of the Tavares-Marner line through two games: “I have no issues with that line… They have done a really good job against Pastrnak” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

In need of a big win to even the series, the Toronto Maple Leafs leaned on the brilliance of their best player and got a hard-earned victory.  Matthews’ goal and two assists were the main storyline, but the Leafs played a more composed game in Boston to take Game 2 from the Bruins 3-2. Max […] The post Game 2 Analysis: Auston Matthews drives the Leafs to victory appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

The Maple Leafs earned their split, and we have ourselves a series.  Auston Matthews and his line were fantastic. The Leafs got a penalty kill and a power-play goal when they needed it. Ilya Samsonov stood his ground, and the fourth line was excellent. We head back to Toronto with a best-of-five series on our […] The post Game in 10: Dominant performance from Auston Matthews and his line powers Maple Leafs to Game 2 victory appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the ECQF playoff series. On the team fighting through a couple of deficits and a called-back goal to win the game: I loved our resolve tonight. The goal at the end of the first period gave […] The post Sheldon Keefe Post Game, Leafs 3 vs. Bruins 2: “I loved [the Matthews] line, and I loved a lot about our game all the way through the lineup” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

Jim Montgomery addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the ECQF playoff series. On how Toronto took control of the game in the second period: I actually liked our second period until we took the penalties. Their power play got rolling. They get juice from […] The post Jim Montgomery Post Game, Leafs 3 vs. Bruins 2: “We are not playing fast enough… We are slow in transition” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

“I thought [the team] played extremely hard. We fell a little short, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort.” – John Gruden The Toronto Marlies coaching staff selected an unrecognizable lineup for the final game of the regular season. Three players suited up for their professional debuts, and two others made their Toronto/AHL debuts. […] The post Toronto Marlies ice an inexperienced lineup, close out the regular season with loss to Cleveland appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

After Sunday’s practice, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery discussed his team’s performance in Game 1 and adjustments ahead of Game 2. Sometimes, Brandon Carlo can operate under the radar, but do you agree he was present and physical in Game 1? Montgomery: I do. It is nice that he got the goal, but there were […] The post Jim Montgomery on adjustments for Game 2 vs. the Maple Leafs: “We need to spend more time in the offensive zone… We didn’t do a good job offensively at five-on-five [in Game 1]” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more

For the second straight year, the Toronto Maple Leafs opened the first round of the playoffs with a near-worst-case scenario.  The Leafs allowed the first goal on the first shot against and continued to make sloppy mistakes all night. After the Leafs nearly tied the game early in the second period, the Bruins were able […] The post Game 1 Analysis: The song remains the same in another frustrating loss to Boston appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove ..read more