Rear Admiral's First Round Bruins Preview

Hey you? Yeah, you. You’re under the gun. 

What seemed like a fait accompli back in December, the Bruins and Maple Leafs facing off in the first round of the NHL playoffs, appeared unlikely for a bit when the Bruins made a late mad dash for the division but ended up just short. So after flirting with the top spot, the Bruins will reacquaint with the team and region that they’ve haunted since 2013, when the Leafs collapsed like a guy having a heart attack, a seizure, and a fainting spell all at the same time. Even from my lived-through-Game-6-in-’86-perspective, it was a fucking disaster.

But this isn’t that same fragile Toronto team. They have one of the most potent offenses in the league that features three 20-goal and three 30-goal scorers. Freddy Andersen is a solid starter capable of getting hot. Mike Babcock may not be straight up with his players (waddup waddup, Commie) but his track record is what it is. However, that D could be its Achilles’ Heel.

Toronto vs. Boston is also one of many First Round series in which both teams have aspirations for a deep Cup run but one will be golfing by Cinco de Mayo. Each team will throw their best punch but only one will move on. Here’s why the Bruins will.

Up Front 

The Leafs have a shitload of talented forwards that can score and pass: Nazem Kadri. Auston Matthews. Mitch Marner. William Nylander. JVR. Pat Marleau. These guys are spread across three lines and are going to get points but the Bs team D needs to limit their chances. Matthews alone can kill them without solid coverage. Zach Hyman, Tyler Bozak, and Connor Brown fill out the rest of the top three lines. The fourth line is expected to be Leo Komarov-Tomas Plekanec-Kasperi Kapanen.

The Bruins boasted the league’s top line this season with Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak. Not only can all three snipe (99 combined goals) but they’re possession monsters as well. David Krejci, a playoff savant in the Bruins recent Cup runs, will center talented rookie Jake DeBrusk and Rick Nash, who is coming off an injury. Noel Acciari will be the third pivot between Danton Heinen and David Backes and Sean Kuraly will be between Tim Schaller and Tommy Wingels. Riley Nash, who was key player all year, is still not skating due to his ear laceration. (Ryan Donato and Brian Gionta are the Game 1 scratches).

While the Bruins bottom six gets the nod over Toronto’s, the Leafs have a slight overall edge in the top six if only because Matthews. Advantage: LEAFS

The Back Line

There is where the Bs have a sizable advantage and where the series will likely swing. Morgan Rielly-Ron Hainsey, Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev, and Travis Dermott-Roman Polak isn’t exactly a set of D that put fear in opponents (of course, people said the same about the Pens last year). They don’t have a bona fide #1 and they give up a ton of shots. They can be exposed by the Bruins forwards.

The Bs will trot out Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug-Kevan Miller, and Matt Grzelcyk-Adam McQuaid. Pairing toughness and skill, each set of D has a puck-mover and a face-puncher. Chara had a fantastic year and should be a shutdown beast. McAvoy was a revelation last playoffs and should be even better this year. The rest of the unit just needs to play their solid, smart D.

No contest here. Advantage: BRUINS

In The Pipes

Freddy Andersen and Tuukka Rask had similar seasons though Andersen saw much more rubber. Despite being #1 goalies, each guy can give up a shit goal at an inopportune moment. But the bottom line is Rask, the former Toronto draft pick, is simply better than Andersen.

Advantage: BRUINS

On The Bench

While Cassidy turned in a Coach of the Year effort (Gerard Gallant will win the award), Babcock has the better résumé from his time in Anaheim and Detroit. As great as Cassidy has been, he’s just not on Babcock’s level yet.

Advantage: LEAFS

The Pick

The Bs forwards should have a field day with Toronto’s lower D pairs. Their bottom six has more snarl in addition some scoring touch. Rask should be better than Andersen. Look for the Bs to get back to the smart and committed team D they played when they catapulted themselves back into contention for the division. The Leafs will give them a battle but the Bruins are just a little bit better. Bruins in 6.

(Writer’s note: yes, this is an abridged version of what I usually write. I simply haven’t had any extra time in the last few days. Appreciate you reading.)