Maple Leafs’ Lamoriello feeling re-energized

These Leafs proved themselves through this tightest of series where the Capitals scored 18 goals to Toronto’s 16 and the Leafs outshot Washington 213-212. The Capitals had a 3-2 series lead going into Game 6 at Air Canada Centre.

For both teams, the only thing that matters now is winning that next game.

Leafs complete its regular season schedule as the first team in National Hockey League history to have six different rookies play at least 70 games. After playing game five in DC’s Verizon Center, the Leafs are back on their home ice in Toronto and ready to battle in game six. The sense of urgency with the team was present, after lacking in Game 5.

Indeed, with Auston Matthews leading the offensive charge and Frederik Andersen showing that he can go toe-to-toe with the reigning Vezina Trophy victor in Braden Holtby, that vaunted rebuild in Toronto is coming along nicely. “They’ve got a lot to look forward to”. The Leafs coach wasn’t even sure that Mitch Manrer, a top-40 scorer by season’s end, would make the team.

The first prime scoring chance of the third period came from Caps forward Andre Burakovsky, who could only shake his head in frustration after his shot from the slot was gloved by Andersen. The Capitals are a heavy, talented team that didn’t have much trouble dispatching these same Leafs late in the regular season. Elimination notwithstanding, the 19-year-old delivered in his first playoffs, scoring goals in four straight games. He scooped the puck out of his net and shot it off the boards in disgust. But Toronto was not out of the woods yet, as they would ice the puck and off the ensuing faceoff, William Nylander took a holding penalty.

This is not to say the Leafs’ veterans didn’t do their share this year. There was only one problem for Washington: Andersen.

This was all similar to how the Penguins beat the Capitals, 4-2, at this exact time of last year’s playoffs. Sneaky belief started with a rookie class that looked ready-made for the NHL at training camp – even before that in the case of Auston Matthews, who played alongside Rielly with Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.

Lou Lamoriello described the Maple Leafs’ season as a “step” and nothing more. The difference last night came after the Leafs took a 1-0 lead.

The summer will likely be spent upgrading a defence that is questionable and was the biggest reason why the Capitals ended up beating the Leafs. But with 7:09 to go, the wall finally crasked. He tied the game 1-1 at 12:51 of the third when his shot deflected off Andersen and in.

Team efforts are how you win in the postseason, and that’s precisely what the Capitals did to win four games against a fast, talented, relentless Leafs team. All six games of the Maple Leafs series were decided by one goal and five of them went to overtime. The Leafs and Matthews clearly left an impression on him.

The Ottawa Senators have won a playoff series for the first time in four years by ousting the Boston Bruins in six games. After two periods, a scoreless draw was where we remained. The teams would play five extra-period games, the most by Toronto since the 1951 Cup final against Montreal.

In the end, the Leafs outshot the Capitals 38-36, and 213-211 over in the series, and won an astounding 64 percent of faceoffs in game six.

What a game. What a series.

Braden Holtby’s game is back on track just in time to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even internally, the team was expected only to demonstrate growth after a last-place 2015-16 season, not make the playoffs or push the Presidents’ Trophy victor to six games in the first round.