Maple Leafs acknowledge job is far from done after clinching latest playoff berth

The Maple Leafs secured a playoff berth with nine regular-season games left, but if there was any celebration Tuesday, it was muted.

That’s partly because, for at least two months, there has been no doubt that they would make it — and that the Lightning would be their first-round opponent. Added to this is the club’s lack of success in the postseason. Toronto has not won a series since 2004 and has lost four games 7 in the past seven years, most recently in 2022 to Tampa Bay.

A quiet pat on the back was in order at the Ford Performance Center Tuesday, but not much else.

“It’s an honor to be here, but obviously we still have work to do,” said Auston Matthews. “We need to use these last few weeks to dial in every part of our game and make sure we’re firing on all guns. We want to step on the gas, not breathe.”

The Maple Leafs go into a meeting with Florida at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday with a healthy lead over the Lightning. The Panthers are three points away from the second wild card position, so they have to play the rest of the way as if the playoffs had already started.

Toronto’s seven consecutive postseason berths are the second-longest since the NHL’s expansion era began in 1967-68 and fourth-longest in franchise history. That’s remarkable and shrugging at the same time.

“We talked about that briefly today,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’re obviously focused on bigger things, but you have to qualify for the playoffs before you can do anything else. To that end, it was worth recognizing.

“If you secure a spot with nine games left, you’ve done some good things along the way to put yourself in that position. So we acknowledge that and move on now.”

In 10 of their last 13 playoff series since 2002, the Maple Leafs have ended in winner-take-all games, including nine Game 7s. Her five-consecutive active streak in such a showdown is one of only four in NHL history.

It’s hoped players learn from these experiences and the pain that comes with them, but some of that can add up to bad luck. There have been occasional Bowsers — such as a 3-1 lead over the Canadiens in 2021 — but they’ve mostly messed with top teams and come up just a little short.

“We have to acknowledge that it’s been a good year so far,” said Michael Bunting, the forward and chief agitator. “We planned that, but it’s just a step. Next thing is to bring ice cream home and move on from there.

“We must be proud of what we have achieved, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

Tampa Bay has won two of the last three Stanley Cups and probably won’t worry too much about how many games it has to play as a visitor. That confidence comes with his past success. You would have to let the Lightning go first.

But this is by far Toronto’s best team in a long time and has proved better than Lightning throughout the season.

“It’s an opponent that we know pretty well,” Keefe said.

Until you finally win, however, it all sounds like graveyard whistles. You must physically chase away these ghosts of past seasons.

Toronto has three players who won Stanley Cups during the offseason or before the close — Matt Murray, Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn. That can’t hurt. Perhaps it will end the league’s longest active drought without winning a playoff series.

The good news is that Ilya Samsonov has rejoined the team. The wife of the great Russian goalkeeper, Mariya, gave birth to their first child last week. Little Miroslav is doing great so far.

“It was the best week of my life,” Samsonov said. “I was a bit nervous before he was born. When I first saw him it was a shock, but a good shock. The last four days we stayed at home together and it was amazing. I feel perfect.”

Maybe the birth of a son will lead to the birth of a Stanley Cup contender.