Pressure of playoff success no issue for Berube’s Maple Leafs

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We know now what the Maple Leafs do in the face of adversity.

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Or, better put, what they don’t do.

They don’t flinch.

The Leafs didn’t flinch on Thursday night in Ottawa when Senators captain Brady Tkachuk scored on his team’s first shot of the third period to tie the game.

The Leafs didn’t flinch on Tuesday in Toronto when Senators forward Adam Gaudette scored on his team’s first shot of the third period to tie the game.

Tkachuk scored at 11:22 on Thursday and it was 2-2.

Gaudette scored at 14:47 on Tuesday and it was 2-2.

Both games went to overtime. Both games were won by the Leafs.

Some 48 hours after Max Domi was the hero, defenceman Simon Benoit fired a point shot past a screened Linus Ullmark at 1:19 of the extra period at the Canadian Tire Centre

A sweep in the best-of-seven could become reality on Saturday night in the Battle of Ontario.

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The Leafs didn’t really have much to worry about during the 2024-25 regular season as coach Craig Berube moulded the team in his first year behind the Toronto bench.

Sure, the Leafs endured injuries. Captain Auston Matthews missed a chunk of time. Goalie Anthony Stolarz was out nearly two months. Defenceman Jake McCabe was out of the lineup for a few stretches.

Only William Nylander and Morgan Rielly played in all 82 games.

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But after the Leafs won four and lost five in their first nine games, there never really was a time when we wondered what they were. They didn’t lose more than three games in a row at any point from October to April.

We could see what the Leafs were building toward as the season progressed. If we could put it one way, we would say the Leafs under Berube are more aware than they have been in years past. They’ve played smarter hockey, they’ve played better defensively, they’ve shut the door on teams when games got intense and usually wound up winning. Consistently excellent goaltending, of course, has helped.

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It’s easy to say a lot of it is the Berube impact, which has been paramount.

Take a look at what happened on Thursday, though. The Leafs’ stars, rightfully criticized after past first-round failures, made the difference.

We’ve seen time and time again the kind of plays that Mitch Marner is capable of making.

His touch-pass from behind the net to Matthews for the Leafs’ go-ahead goal early in the third period simply was stunning. We’re at the point with Marner, having watched him for nine seasons, that nothing should come as much of a surprise. His ability to make split-second decisions, though, still can be a revelation. Ullmark still doesn’t know what happened on the play.

Matthews then won the draw in overtime against Shane Pinto, his alleged nemesis in the series, to get the puck back to Benoit.

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Through three games, the Leafs’ top scorers are Marner, Matthews, John Tavares, Nylander and Rielly. Ring a bell?

The Senators will say the only thing they really can say — it’s all about winning one game at a time. It’s true, but they’re human just like the rest of us. We would imagine that at least some of them have thought about how difficult it’s going to be to knock the Leafs off in four games in a row.

Are the Leafs really going to lose four consecutive games for the first time in the Berube era?

If you’re into history, consider the only previous time the Leafs swept the Senators in the post-season. It happened in 2001, when the Leafs won in four games in the first round. That came after the Leafs were 0-4-1 against Ottawa in the regular season. They were 0-3-0 against the Sens this season.

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It’s not absolutely essential that the Leafs finish off the Senators on Saturday. A chance to end Ottawa’s season at home in Toronto in Game 5 on Tuesday might be enticing for some.

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Still, it’s not about letting the Sens off the mat on Saturday, which an Ottawa victory would do to an extent. It’s more that a win would give the Leafs several days off, providing great opportunity to rest and recover. And, at the same time, Toronto would hope that the Tampa Bay Lightning rallies to make it a series against the Florida Panthers. A 2-0 Panthers lead, with both wins coming in Tampa, might not have been predicted by anyone.

What’s certain is the Leafs won’t have many worries between now and Saturday night. They’ve been effective and decisive in the series when it has been required.

The Leafs haven’t flinched.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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