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The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. It will be the first time the two storied Original Six franchises meet in the postseason since Boston's victory in seven games in 2019.
Toronto will not have the home-ice advantage as they did last season, finishing as the third seed in the Atlantic Division.
Heading into the playoffs, the Maple Leafs have a few key areas they need to address to ensure a deep postseason run.
3 biggest issues Toronto Maple Leafs must address ahead of playoff matchup vs. Boston Bruins
#1. William Nylander's scoring drought
Forward William Nylander has not scored in 11 games, dating to March 28. The winger finished with 40 goals for the second straight season but has hit a speed bump down the stretch. The 27-year-old fell two short of his first 100-point season.
Nylander is a huge component of the Leafs' offense. Obviously, Auston Matthews will score and draw a lot of attention. However, the supporting cast of Nylander, Mitchell Marner and John Tavares will need to provide offense if Toronto hopes to make it out of the first round again this year.
#2. Goaltending
The Leafs always seem to be dealing with some sort of goaltending drama. Whether it is a plethora of injuries as we saw with Matt Murray or the sub-par performances from Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll and Martin Jones this season, it is always something.
Woll has been the most consistent of the trio, finishing with a 12-11-1 record and a .907 save percentage in 23 starts. The 25-year-old also stepped into four postseason games in 2023 (two starts) and put up a very good .915 save percentage.
Samsonov should be the guy for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played the most this season, going 23-7-8 in 40 starts. However, his .890 save percentage and 3.13 goals-against average put him well below where his team needs him to be.
#3. Find their consistency
The Maple Leafs were one of the better teams in the NHL all season. But as of late, their play has dipped.
Toronto finished the regular season on a 5-4-1 run in their last 10 games. That is .500 hockey. Not only is that not going to get you anywhere in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Toronto will match up against a powerhouse in the Boston Bruins in round one. They have no time to ease their way in.
If Toronto does not re-find what they had earlier in the year, they may be in trouble.
