Maple Leafs G Andersen to sit regular-season finale

Babcock, perhaps not surprisingly, plans to spend lots of time before Thursday’s opener in D.C. detailing for his group what exactly is different about playoff hockey. If the B’s remain in third place, they’ll have that first-round series with the Sens, and would then take on the victor of the Rangers-Canadiens showdown in the second round if they were to advance.

The Senators and Bruins have already clinched playoff spots and are now in second and third, respectively, in the Atlantic division.

The Leafs are in the second wild card spot with 93 points. Again, it is that simple. As defenceman Jake Gardiner put it, “You gotta beat the best at some point, so might as well do it in the first round”.

But the fortunes turned for the Leafs, who stopped playing with urgency. The Elmhurst, Ill., native was selected by the Maple Leafs in the seventh round of the 2011 National Hockey League draft.

“The path of least resistance is something to shoot for”, said Maple Leafs defenseman Connor Carrick after the game Tuesday.

The Bruins also have an outside chance of getting the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic.

Toronto’s victory eliminated the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning from playoff contention and advanced the Maple Leafs to a first-round date against either Washington or Ottawa. The game has seeding value to the Bruins, though Washington could make it more likely a playoff preview by winning and has won eight in a row against Boston.

The Leafs gradually took control of the first period and by the time it was done, had limited the Penguins to just seven shot attempts (including four shots on goal) while registering 23 of their own (with nine shots on goal). They’re skilled. They really push the pace and they can do it consistently all game.

Toronto is only two points behind Boston with a game in hand.

The players left behind in Syracuse, often short-handed, have done all they can to hold things together, but they need help. “You’ve got younger guys who just came to the league and it’s great for them, like they’ve got a chance to win right away”.

Kasperi Kapanen, on a pass from Matt Hunwick, sent the crowd of 19,561 into a frenzy when he scored at 14:30 of the third to tie the game 3-3.

But of course, these are the low expectations. Teams were limited to a 48 game season, thus the Leafs making the playoffs didn’t feel as sweet as it should have been. The end result of one last-place season was the best odds for Toronto to land Auston Matthews, the best rookie in the 100-year history of the franchise. This Leafs team, healthy, could absolutely have beaten Ottawa and then faced Montreal, and that wouldn’t have been a guaranteed loss, either.

No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen sat out Sunday after exiting a playoff-clinching win against Pittsburgh on Saturday following a hit to the head.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Columbus Blue Jackets. So neither team has anything to gain this weekend in their matchups with Toronto. Instead, any optimistic – and more often than not rationale – thought is quickly dismissed with one common statement, “but, this is the Leafs we’re talking about”.

Matthews, the favourite to win the Calder Trophy, recorded his 29th assist in the game, giving him a shot at 70 points when the Leafs play host to Columbus on Sunday to finish the regular season. “Play your shift, come back, take a deep breath, get a drink of water and play your next one”. But each time, Tampa Bay responded.

Even Komarov, one of the longer-serving Leafs, didn’t expect his team to leap back into the post-season so soon – the Leafs clinching their first such berth in four years and second since 2004 with a 5-3 win over the Penguins Saturday night.

Could it happen? Sure, why not?