- Offizieller Beitrag
Jetzt bin ich gespannt wie es in Toronto weitergehen wird.
In der ersten Runde gegen den Stanley Cup Sieger spielen zu müssen ist halt schon hart. Bin zwar absolut kein Fan von GM und Coach in Toronto, würde ihnen aber noch ein Jahr geben.
The Maple Leafs blew away team records for wins (54) and points (115) in the regular season, finishing fourth in the NHL standings. They had their first 60-goal scorer in center Auston Matthews.
But they played in such a difficult division, the Atlantic, that they finished second to the Florida Panthers, who won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team.
As a result, their reward was a first-round matchup with the Lightning, who are trying to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons since the New York Islanders won it in four straight from 1980-83.
So what now? The Maple Leafs don't need to make major changes to management, the coaching staff or roster.
Not long ago, the Lightning couldn't break through in their own way.
They lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 and the Eastern Conference Final in 2016. After missing the playoffs in 2017, they again lost in the conference final in 2018 before being swept in the first round in 2019.
But they didn't overreact. They stuck with their core and stuck with it.(nhl.com)