Ice Hockey
Toronto Maple Leafs Reach Second Playoff Round for the First Time Since 2004
by privatebet.com - 2023/04/30
It’s been almost two decades since the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs reached the second playoff round, but their wait is finally over. They defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to make it to the second round for the first time since 2004. The race between Maple Leafs and Lightning for the second-round spot has been pretty tight, but Toronto eventually managed to win 4-2 after six games. Their latest face-off resulted in a 2-1 overtime win for Toronto after captain John Tavares scored the game-winner at Amalie Arena. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov also deserves a lot of credit for his performance, after stopping 31 of Tampa Bay’s 32 shots. He joined Maple Leafs earlier this season and replaced Matt Murray as the team’s starting goaltender after he was injured. This win is quite an achievement for Toronto since they haven’t made it to the second round in almost two decades, and their head coach Sheldon Keefe described this milestone as “a long time coming.” “I really just acknowledged the fact that it has been a long road for a lot of our guys… For them, to get this feeling tonight — they deserve it. The guys have worked incredibly hard, have been through a lot, and have been questioned a lot,” said Keefe post-game.