What happened last time Maple Leafs made second round of NHL Stanley Cup playoffs?

Auston Matthews, in his first year as captain, has taken the Toronto Maple Leafs to the second round of the playoffs. They eliminated the Ottawa Senators after a 4-2 win in Game 6 on Thursday. This is the second time in three years that they’ve made it this far.

In 2022-23, reaching the second round felt new. That year, they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. It was their first playoff series win since 2004.

Here is the full game breakdown from that series:

First Round against Tampa Bay Lightning:

• Game 1 (Apr. 18): Lightning 7, Leafs 3
• Game 2 (Apr. 20): Leafs 7, Lightning 2
• Game 3 (Apr. 22): Leafs 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
• Game 4 (Apr. 24): Leafs 5, Lightning 4 (OT)
• Game 5 (Apr. 27): Lightning 4, Leafs 2
• Game 6 (Apr. 29): Leafs 2, Lightning 1 (OT)

Maple Leafs won the series 4–2, and Ilya Samsonov was their starting goalie in all six games.

Second Round against Florida Panthers:

• Game 1 (May 2): Panthers 4, Leafs 2
• Game 2 (May 4): Panthers 3, Leafs 2
• Game 3 (May 7): Panthers 3, Leafs 2 (OT)
• Game 4 (May 10): Leafs 2, Panthers 1
• Game 5 (May 12): Panthers 3, Leafs 2 (OT)

Toronto Maple Leafs lost the series 4-1, and goalie Samsonov started Games 1 and 2, while Joseph Woll started the final three games.

Mitch Marner led the Leafs with 14 points. Morgan Rielly had 12, Auston Matthews 11, and William Nylander 10. Matthews scored five goals. Nylander, Rielly, and John Tavares each scored four goals. Goalie Ilya Samsonov had four wins with a .898 save percentage. Backup goalie Joseph Woll had one win and two losses.

This was the first playoff series win for Toronto’s core four - Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares.

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Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube on Leafs' first-round win

After last year's first-round playoff exit, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed a new coach, Craig Berube. He had Stanley Cup experience with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Since then, the Leafs' all-around increase in performance is clear as water.

"They were businesslike today," Berube said, after Game 6 win against Senators, via NHL.com. "I think after the (4-0) Game 5 loss at home, it’s a tough one. We came in here with a little bit different mindset."

Toronto Maple Leafs have depth in scoring, with Matthew Knies also stepping up during crucial games. Their core four is working at its finest, with Marner scoring 102 points in the regular season and Nylander with another 40+ goals season.

They will face the Florida Panthers in the second round, the same team that ended their playoff journey in 2022-23.