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The Leafs head into Boston to begin their first round match with the Bruins who in my opinion should have avoided this match up by beating the Panthers on Sunday night. The Leafs are a group of talented kids who have really come into their own behind bench boss Mike Babcock and are eager, motivated and confident going into the first round of the playoffs which will be a first for the majority of the players, so how can they take down the Bruins who in their own right have plenty of veterans with experience and have looked dominant for the most part this season.
Here is why the Leafs prevail
Coaching
Lets begin with the coaches where Mike Babcock has shown that he can get the most out of his teams and has molded this Leafs team into a contender. Earlier in the season the Leafs scoring dropped by more than 1.5 goals per game as Babcock had them focused on the defensive aspect making this team respectable at both ends of the ice. We know that they can score with ranking 4th at 3.3 goals average per game and three 30 goal scorers this season. Babcok will have this group focused and ready. On the other bench Bruce Cassidy has done a masterful job with the B's however the veteran talent that he had to work with was much less a task than Babcock in Toronto.
Goaltending
Frederik Anderson has been a machine for the buds this season posting 38 wins in 66 games played with a GAA of 2.81 and has faced the most shots this season in the league. At one point this season Anderson was in the conversation for the Vezna and has played up to that level. The Bruins will counter with Tuka Rask who has posted 34 wins in 54 games with a 2.36 GAA
Both goaltenders have plenty of experience and will be a major key in their team advancing into the second round.
The Bruins gameplan will be to get physical and slow down the high flying kids but the Buds have plenty of firepower and will pressure the B's defense and get to the net. If Anderson can keep the B's snipers at bay the Bruins will eventually get tired of chasing the fast skating Leafs and will have to adapt their strategy which will take them off their gameplan. This will be a long series and possibly go seven games which favors the Leafs and their young kids over the Bruins veterans.
Leafs Win series in 6 or 7 games
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