Maple Leafs’ ‘Business-Like’ Mindset Overcomes Potential Playoff Disaster to Advance to Second Round

When the final horn sounded at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrated their 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators, pushing them through to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It's a big moment for a Maple Leafs team that won a playoff round for just the second time since 2004. But unlike the 2023 playoff victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning that saw the entire staff celebrate with a mix of relief and jubilation, this time was different. The Leafs celebrated like you would have expected them to after a hard-fought series against a Senators team that impressed in their first postseason series since 2017. The Leafs kept a straight face, going on with the obligatory handshake line before heading to the room.

So, what changed after a disappointing Game 5 loss that saw the Leafs' 3-0 series lead shrink to 3-2, giving Ottawa momentum?

"They were business-like today," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube explained. "We came in here with a little bit different mindset, and I think that was a big key and big moment by the team. Just to come in here with a little bit different mindset. It wasn't do or die, but we wanted to finish it off here."

The Leafs jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period after goals from Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Those tallies took the energy out of a loud and boisterous pro-Senators crowd. Things got dicey when Brady Tkachuk cut Toronto's lead in half later in the second period.

When David Perron flipped a puck off the back of Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz and into the net, it looked like it was going to be another one of those 'here we go again' moments – the kind the Leafs have faced before in unsuccessful close-out games.

Core players like Matthews have been through it, but found a way to push past it.

"All that stuff on the outside, it’s in one ear, out the other," Matthews said. "It’s all about the guys in the room. Just continuing to do what we can for one another. Just continue to push."

All of the narratives were there, but Toronto pushed them away.

The Maple Leafs accidentally put Alex Nylander in their lineup card instead of William Nylander. They were fortunate, in collaboration with officials, to have caught the error before the puck drop. Had Nylander not been able to play and score two goals (including the empty-netter that sealed the victory), there could have been a different outcome, and fans of the team would be lamenting yet another moment that could have cost them the series.

With the game tied 2-2, Max Pacioretty, benched for the first two games of the series, scored the game-winning goal. This validated Berube's decision to keep him in the lineup when it might have been easy to substitute him for Nick Robertson, who played in the first two games.

As Nylander chased down a puck that was blocked by Scott Laughton into an empty net, the Leafs gathered around Nylander on the bench to give him his props. Still, after the game, he wasn't interested in soaking in the victory.

"I think that we're happy obviously to be in the second round, but now our focus is Florida," Nylander said. "That's where I think our mind is at."

Back in September, Berube got his first real taste of the pressure of coaching in the Toronto market when an Ottawa reporter asked him if it was time to panic following a pair of pre-season losses. As ridiculous as the notion may have been at the time, Berube handled it with class, politely dismissing the notion. He could have overreacted, and he probably would have been justified in doing so. But his calm, cool, and collected manner gave a glimpse of what could be expected when the pressure is on. It would have been easy for the Leafs to be tightly wound after losing two straight games following Game 4, failing to sweep the Sens. He wasn't, and that's likely why this advancement to the postseason feels different.