Maple Leafs vs. Bruins 2024 Playoff Series Preview

Game 1 of this series between these two arch-rivals is on Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m., which means it is time for a playoff preview. Let’s go over who has the better team on paper, who has the better chance of winning, and my prediction for who wins the series.

Who Has the Better Forwards?

The forward group is the one area that the Maple Leafs truly run away with. Now, that’s not to say that the Bruins’ forward group isn’t good by any means; they just don’t have the same level of skill as the forward group in Toronto. Let’s go into a deeper breakdown.

The Maple Leafs have a core four that consists of Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. They also brought in some good secondary options that do well in the playoffs, with Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. These six players are essentially going to be the team’s top two lines. Matthews, Bertuzzi, and Domi have been lights out since they were put together when Marner hurt his ankle. As for Marner, Nylander, and Tavares, they have the talent to be a very good offensive trio, but at times they could be lacking someone to play in the corners. Because of this, head coach Sheldon Keefe will likely put Bobby McMann, Matthew Knies, or even Calle Jarnkrok on that line to help with the battles in the corners. But it also gives him an offensive powerhouse line to keep in his back pocket.

Keefe has a few players returning from injuries (McMann and Jarnkrok), and if they are ready, they can give him a few different looks for his top three lines. He has the opportunity to give Nylander his own line so the offence can run through him and give him some defensive-minded players like Jarnkrok, McMann, and Holmberg. He can also put Nylander at center on the three lines and do Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson, which could be another offensive-threatening line. Time will tell what he does, but the Maple Leafs do have a ton of lineup options for their top three lines for Game 1. As for the fourth line, Ryan Reaves has to be in for Game 1, and then depending on the following games, he may go in and out. He will be on a line with David Kampf and Connor Dewar, which has been a good cycle, hard-forechecking trio for the team.

As for the Bruins, their forward lines aren’t as deep in terms of talent, but they still have 13 everyday NHL forwards. The important thing to remember is that they have some Maple Leaf killers on their roster. Players who have caused Leafs Nation years of heartache can do it again. That starts with Boston’s first line, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, and Jake DeBrusk. Marchand has been a menace to the Maple Leafs in years past. He gets under everyone’s skin and plays mind games while scoring points, and when someone finally challenges him, he skates away or turtles and draws penalties against you. He is a classic pest and probably the best one in the NHL as of right now. 

Then there is the second line, which is made up of Danton Heinen, Pavel Zacha, and David Pastrnak. Everyone can see who the most feared player on this line is, right? Here’s a hint: it’s not Zacha; it’s the man they call “Pasta.” Pastrnak loves playing against the Maple Leafs; he scores big-time goals and collects points like he is playing on rookie mode in NHL 24, all while seeming as though he isn’t trying. Toronto is going to need to be very tough on him this series if they want to find success, but let’s face it, if it were easy, they would have done it in the past.

As the rest of the Bruins lineup goes, it is the depth players who play a heavy game and forecheck well. Some notable names are Trent Frederic, James van Riemsdyk, and everyone’s favourite, Patrick Maroon. van Riemsdyk, although aged, has the skill to get to the net and score a few big goals. But Maroon and Frederic will be preparing for a war; they will come into the series with a very physical presence and some trash talk to get the Maple Leafs off their game. This is where Reaves will need to play his role and try to shut that down and make his teammates feel that much bigger, or else these two could help the Bruins win the series with ease.

Who Has the Better Blue Line?

Let’s move on to the blue lines for both teams. This one is an interesting matchup; both teams have a number one guy in Morgan Rielly and Charlie McAvoy. However, if that is looked at league-wide, Rielly isn’t considered to be a number-one defenceman, whereas McAvoy is. Regardless, both of them will be looking for open ice to join the rush. Outside of that, the edge would have to go to the Bruins.

The Bruins have a few more notable names, like Hampus Lindholm, Matt Grzelyck, and Brandon Carlo, all of whom could be difference-makers. Yes, there is agreement that the Maple Leafs may have more “defensive-minded defencemen”, but the Bruins tend to have more players on their blue line who are two-way types of players who can shoot the puck into the net and defend the rush, and that is where they hold the upper hand. In terms of pairings, they tend to go with McAvoy and Lindholm, Grzelyck and Carlo, and Kevin Shattenkirk and Andrew Peeke.

Now to the Maple Leafs, they have improved their blue line and made it 100 times stronger, but they still are missing a true difference maker outside of Rielly. There could also be an argument made that Rielly isn’t even a difference-maker because the team has historically done better without him in the lineup. However, if you look at last season’s first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he was one of the team’s best players and helped them advance to the second round.

Outside of Rielly, it is truly much the same with the Maple Leafs. They have shutdown guys in Ilya Lyubushkin, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, Joel Edmundson, and T.J. Brodie. They all tend to do a lot of the same; some are better at hitting than others, and some are better at breaking out passes and creating chances. Nevertheless, teams do need these players because they create tough matchups against the other teams’ top lines. Benoit, McCabe, and Edmundson would be three to watch when it comes to matchups against Marchand and Pastrnak’s lines.

Lastly, there is Timothy Liljegren, who is the only two-way defenceman for the Maple Leafs. He can play on the power play or penalty kill and do it well. Unfortunately, he has struggled in past playoffs and found himself sitting in the press box. Lucky for him, though, he is the only other right-handed shooting defenceman on the blue line aside from Lyubushkin. Which should almost guarantee him a spot in Game 1. The pairings could look like this to start the series: Rielly and Lyubushkin, Benoit and McCabe, and then Edmundson and Liljegren, with Brodie as the seventh defenceman.

Who Has the Better Goalie Tandem?

Lastly, there are the men between the pipes, the goalies. For both of these teams, it’s not goalie, it’s goalies, because they tend to both use a tandem style. Lately, Keefe has been giving Ilya Samsonov the lion’s share of the starts to ramp him up for the playoffs and get him as confident as possible. As for the Bruins, Jim Montgomery doesn’t need to worry about making sure his starter is confident; Jeremy Swayman is already one of the best goalies in the NHL, and he is only 25 years old. Moreover, with confident goalies, the Bruins have the edge over the Maple Leafs by a landslide. 

The Bruins will start Swayman, and he will be a tough matchup against the Maple Leafs. He can easily steal the series for his team and completely shut down Toronto’s top stars. If, on the off chance, that doesn’t happen, well, don’t get too excited, Leafs Nation, because here comes their backup, 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark. Either way, it is not going to be easy for Matthews and the rest of his squad because both of the Bruins goalies are elite and hard to beat.

The Maple Leafs have goaltending, but not on the same level as the Bruins. With that said, it doesn’t mean that the aforementioned Samsonov can’t go on a streak, steal games, and close out this series. It is completely doable. What is important to remember, though, is that a seven-game series is not only a physical grind, but it is also mentally exhausting. Samsonov has become mentally and physically stronger, but as Leafs Land knows, he has had a journey like no other this season, and sometimes the words and doubt creep back into the minds of the fans.

If he does struggle badly and the attention turns to Joseph Woll, it could work out fine. But he hasn’t been his best since returning from a high ankle sprain on Feb. 26 . Woll does seem to have a strong mindset and could turn it around quickly and help lead the Maple Leafs past the Bruins, but it may not be likely at least this season. Hey, if all else fails, there is always Matt Murray in the American Hockey League, am I right, Leafs Nation? 

My Prediction

My prediction for this series is a Maple Leafs win in six games. I believe that this team has shown their fans and the NHL that they are a good road playoff team, and that will be proven again. Winning this series in six games means they would be winning it at home with the support of their fans. This year’s version of the Maple Leafs has proven to be the same in some ways, but different in the ways that matter come playoff time.

For example, their team toughness is better than it ever has been in the Matthews era, and that will play a huge factor in how they do in the postseason as a whole, but especially against the Bruins. I also feel that Matthews will continue his dominance from the regular season and have a breakout playoff that helps the Maple Leafs advance to the second round. 

Overall, this is going to be a very fun, physical, and skilled series. One that no one saw coming again until the last two games of the season. The Maple Leafs vs. Bruins in the first round for the third time in nine years, and the chance for the Maple Leafs to finally slay the dragon? It doesn’t get better than that!