“Something that will push us that we need to embrace. “We understand that and the challenge that brings,” Tavares said. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto Editing by Jamie Freed Our Standards. Boston has gone 60-12-5 overall with a 16-5-3 record against the Atlantic. While some divisions have a roster or two in transition, there are no easy nights in the Atlantic. The Maple Leafs will next face the winner of Sundays game between the top-seeded Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers. BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Boston Bruins after the Bruins beat the St. We know that we’re gonna get a little bit better, too.”Īdded Montreal sniper Cole Caufield: “We can surprise some teams.” But at the same time, we have a lot of optimism. “Teams aren’t going anywhere, and everyone’s getting a little bit better. “We’re up against some really stiff competition,” he said. As Ryan O’Reilly makes his much-anticipated return from injury, the Maple Leafs are looking to ramp up to the playoffs and even up the season series in the final Bruins vs. “That’s why this is the best league in the world.”Ĭanadiens goaltender Jake Allen said his young roster still in the midst of a rebuild is realistic about its chances. “Sometimes the expectations are very high,” he said. “That puts the rest of the teams that have been in the playoffs on notice there are six, seven teams that could all be playoff teams.”īut Tampa defenceman Mikhail Sergachev cautioned there have been similar preseason narratives in the past. They’re all up-and-coming, they’re talking about having a lot of successes. “Same with Buffalo, everyone’s very high on them same with Detroit. The teams both compete in the Atlantic Division and with current NHL scheduling, they meet four times per season. “Ottawa is, from what I’ve seen and heard, a favourite to come out and be a playoff team,” he said. “They didn’t have Bergeron or Krejci in their lineup for Games 3 and 4 against us, and they smacked us.īut Tkachuk, Brady’s older brother, added the rest of the pack has closed the gap considerably. Pavel Zacha scored twice in the third period as the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in a clash of two of the Eastern Conferences best tea. “People have got to be careful with knocking Boston,” he said.

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