Toronto Maple Leafs

On the heels of yet another postseason disappointment, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced Thursday that they relieved Sheldon Keefe of his duties as head coach.

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving released a statement regarding the move, saying:

"Today's decision was difficult. Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal. We thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication to the organization over the last nine years, and wish him and his family all the very best."

Thank you, Leafs Nation 💙✌️ pic.twitter.com/WN4iXJZjjE

— Sheldon Keefe (@SheldonKeefe) May 9, 2024

In parts of five seasons as Toronto's head coach, Keefe led the Leafs to the playoffs five times, but they won only one playoff series during his tenure. This season, the Maple Leafs fell to the rival Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeNnVIpkKZY

Per Chris Johnston of The Athletic, Keefe was fired despite having two years left on his deal as part of a contract extension that hadn't even kicked in yet.

Before getting hired by the Maple Leafs, the 43-year-old Keefe spent parts of five seasons as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies, who are the Leafs' AHL affiliate.

Keefe helped the Marlies win the Calder Cup in 2018, and after the Leafs got off to a slow start under Mike Babcock during the 2019-20 season, Keefe was elevated to the position of Maple Leafs head coach.

Toronto is in the midst of an eight-year playoff streak, but despite the presence of elite offensive talent such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares, the Leafs have stumbled during the postseason.

The Maple Leafs finally won a playoff series last season, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 in the first round, but they didn't adapt well to their status as the Eastern Conference favorites after that, falling 4-1 to the Florida Panthers in the second round.

Although the Leafs have made eight straight playoff appearances and nine in the past 12 seasons, they have only one playoff series win to their credit since the 2003-04 campaign.

With Marner and Tavares in line to potentially become free agents after next season, there is a sense of urgency for the Maple Leafs to contend for and win a Stanley Cup quickly.

Matthews and Nylander are locked into high-dollar, long-term deals, so it is possible both Marner and Tavares could be gone after the 2024-25 season.

If that happens, the Leafs will have possibly missed their Cup window and may have to rebuild the rest of the roster around Matthews and Nylander.

Because of that, Treliving has to get it right with his next head coaching hire. Luckily for him, he should have the pick of the litter with regard to coaching candidates due to how talented Toronto's roster is.

The Leafs ranked second in the NHL this season with 303 goals scored, they boast three players who had 85 or more points and they have arguably the best pure goal scorer in the league in Matthews, who scored a career-high 69 goals this season.

None of those factors have been enough to get the Maple Leafs over the hump in recent years, but a new voice behind the bench may be the missing ingredient needed to make them true Cup contenders.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews, Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov are finalists for the 2023-24 Ted Lindsay Award, the NHL announced Wednesday.

Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Ted Lindsay Award.
#NHLAwards: https://t.co/5fD9ok95mz pic.twitter.com/bCtcjTqW2M

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) May 8, 2024

The Ted Lindsay Award honors the NHL's most outstanding player as voted on by the NHL Players' Association.

Kucherov is seeking his second trophy after claiming the award following the 2018-19 season.

Matthews is also a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy for defensive forwards and the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanlike play.

He also claimed the Ted Lindsay Award after the 2021-22 season.

Matthews already clinched his third career Rocket Richard Trophy after leading the NHL with 69 goals during the 2023-24 season. That's the highest goal total recorded by any NHL player since Mario Lemieux achieved the feat for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.

The Toronto star also paced all NHL scorers with 51 goals at even strength as he led the Maple Leafs to finish the season as the highest scoring 5v5 team in the NHL, per Natural Stat Trick.

Kucherov and MacKinnon are also finalists for the 2023-24 Hart Trophy, which honors the most valuable player to their team as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

MacKinnon, a finalist in 2018 and 2019, is up for his first Ted Lindsay Award after becoming the first player in NHL history to record two 19-game point streaks in a single season.

In 82 games he topped the NHL with 405 shots on goal and led the Avalanche with 51 goals and 89 assists for 140 points, just four shy of Kucherov for the most in the league.

The last time Kucherov led the NHL in points, he claimed both the Ted Lindsay and Hart. Now he could be set to repeat as the winner of both awards after pacing all NHL producers with 100 assists and 144 points through 81 games.

Kucherov is now the only player in NHL history other than Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky to record a triple-digit assists total alongside 40 regular-season goals, per Lightning reporter Chris Krenn.

This will mark just the third time in eight seasons the trophy has not been awarded to an Edmonton Oiler. Connor McDavid has claimed the award four times, and Leon Draisaitl once, over the stretch.

The 2023-24 Ted Lindsay Award will be announced June 27 during the NHL Awards show, which is set to take place prior to the 2024 NHL Draft.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has been cleared to play in Saturday's Game 7 matchup against the Boston Bruins after missing the last two games, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

The Maple Leafs are also starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov for Game 7 after Joseph Woll sustained an injury during his Game 6 start, the team announced. Woll had started each of the last three games for Toronto.

Matthews sustained an injury at some point during Game 4 while playing through illness, Kaplan added.

The Athletic's Chris Johnston initially reported that Matthews was "a good bet to return" for Saturday contest.

Johnston and Jonas Siegel previously reported for The Athletic that Matthews suffered an injury on a hit in Game 4 while also battling an illness.

The Leafs have won two straight games without Matthews to extend the series, but the return of the NHL's leading goalscorer could improve Toronto's chances of advancing to the second round.

Matthews previously recorded three points, including the third-period game-winner, in the Maple Leafs' 3-2 Game 2 victory in Boston.

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after morning practice that Matthews' status was "undetermined" for Saturday night's game, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

There are indications the decision as to whether he will play is at least closer than it was in Games 5 and 6. Matthews rejoined his teammates at for a Saturday morning skate for the first time since leaving Game 4, and did not stay late for extra work, per TSN's Mark Masters and The Hockey News' David Alter.

That skate only lasted 15 minutes, The Athletic's Jonas Siegel noted.

Auston Matthews taking part in his first skate with Leafs teammates since Game 4 @TSN_Edge pic.twitter.com/8pv3mWbE8f

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) May 4, 2024

Matthews then arrived with his teammates to the game at TD Garden, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Auston Matthews arrived with the first bus of teammates for Game 7 in Boston, intensifying the belief he is an option for tonight.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 4, 2024

Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals, including a league-best 51 at even strength, in 81 games during the regular season.

His absence isn't the first time the Leafs have been missing a member of their offensive core during this series. William Nylander missed the first three games of the series, meaning the Leafs have not yet played a full playoff game with all of their stars available this season.

Toronto will hope that can change with Matthews' potential return tonight. The Leafs are looking to advance to the next round for the second year in a row after six straight years of disappointing early exits.

The Bruins will meanwhile need to brace for the potential return of Matthews as they hope to avoid repeating last year's upset by the Florida Panthers. A loss Saturday night would make Boston the first team in NHL history to blow a 3-1 series lead in consecutive playoffs, per ESPN's Kristen Shilton.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews will miss the team's Game 6 matchup against the Boston Bruins as he continues to work through an illness and undisclosed injury.

Matthews previously sat out Toronto's Game 5 win over Boston. The Leafs trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series as Matthews has spent nearly the entire series dealing with the illness.

Matthews skated with the team Wednesday, but there was no update on his status at that time.

"Other players gotta step up, right? Nothing else we can do about it," Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit said. "If he's not in the lineup, we just gotta figure out how to win."

Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals during the regular season and was sixth in points with 107. He's expected to be among the finalists for the Hart Trophy, though the award will almost certainly go to Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon.

Toronto was an underdog coming into the series against Boston, and losing its best player will do nothing to help matters. The Leafs have home-ice advantage Thursday night, so their fingers will be crossed they'll be able to hold off for a Game 7 where Matthews can return.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is "unlikely to be available" for Game 5 against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston.

Matthews is "battling an illness," and also "believed to be nursing an undisclosed injury," Siegel and Johnston reported.

The Leafs face a 3-1 first-round series deficit and need a win in Boston to extend their postseason.

Matthews missed the third period of the Leafs' game Saturday night after skating just over 14 minutes in the Game 4 loss.

Matthews missed practice Friday, prior to Saturday's Game 4, and again on Monday, per Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press.

He participated in Tuesday's practice "for about 10 minutes, doing light skating and deflecting shots," according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was noncommittal as to Matthews' status after Tuesday's practice.

"He's working through things to try to make himself available to play," Keefe said, according to McGran. "No determination at this time."

Keefe said team doctors would ultimately decide Matthews' availability for the elimination game, per McGran.

"This time of year, the players are going to do all that they can to get out there," Keefe said. "And then the medical team is going to do all they can to make sure the players are available, while also making sure that they're taken care of. So that's what we're working through."

Matthews had recorded one shot on net and two hits prior to being pulled by doctors from Game 4, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

He was previously instrumental in the Leafs' last victory over the Bruins, assisting twice and then scoring the game-winner in a 3-2 Game 2 victory that tied the series at 1-1.

Matthews was less of a factor during Toronto's Game 3 and Game 4 losses, during which Keefe confirmed Sunday he had been dealing with an illness.

"For whatever reason, it's not one of those everyday types of illnesses that sort of come and go," Keefe said, per Siegel. "This one has lingered and the effects have lingered and gotten worse when he's on the ice asserting himself."

Keefe did not confirm the injury reported by Siegel and Johnston. Matthews was taken down to the ice by Boston's Charlie McAvoy during Toronto's Game 3 loss last week.

In case of another absence from Matthews, who won his third Rocket Richard Trophy this season after leading the NHL with 69 goals, the Leafs will need increased production from other offensive stars including Mitch Marner and William Nylander in order to keep the team's playoff hopes alive.

The Boston Bruins have once again put the Maple Leafs on the brink of first-round elimination.

After ousting Toronto from the playoffs in the first round in 2018 and 2019, Boston is one game away from repeating the feat after cruising to a 3-1 Game 4 victory Saturday night in Toronto.

The Bruins will now head back to TD Garden with a 3-1 first-round series advantage.

Brad Marchand led his team to the win by scoring the 56th playoff goal of his career on a second-period power play.

Brad Marchand makes it 2-0 on the power play! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/egGdSkW2uI

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 28, 2024

The tally led him to pass Hall of Famer Cam Neely for the all-time Bruins lead in playoff scoring.

Brad Marchand is now the Bruins franchise leader in playoff goals 👏 pic.twitter.com/HoVu5pS2Y7

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 28, 2024

Brad Marchand has surpassed Cam Neely (55) for the most playoff goals in @NHLBruins history and has helped his club skate to a 3-0 lead. #StanleyCup

Watch the third period on @TBSNetwork, @SportsonMax, @Sportsnet, @TVASports, CBC now.#NHLStats: https://t.co/3GyAl55rVP pic.twitter.com/tM0nrQVXqI

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 28, 2024

Brad Marchand has 8 points in 4 games

3-5-8

— Hannah 🎓 (@babybergy37) April 28, 2024

Have a series Brad Marchand

— Graham Creech (@Creech__) April 28, 2024

David Pastrnak and James van Riemsdyk also scored in the Bruins' victory, while Jeremy Swayman turned aside 24 of 25 shots faced.

Jeremy Swayman this postseason:

• 3-0
• 1.33 Goals Against Average
• .956 Save Percentage#NHLBruins | @BruinSomethin pic.twitter.com/W3hdcpbsrS

— Michael Sullivan (@_MikeSullivan) April 28, 2024

https://twitter.com/BrandonMaki_/status/1784410534999142639

Marchand's franchise-record tally marked the sixth power-play goal of the series for Boston.

Special teams have been a different maker for the Bruins, who scored once on three power-play opportunities Saturday and were perfect on three penalty kills.

Toronto meanwhile registered no shots on a power play granted with fewer than five minutes left on the clock.

Special teams has been the biggest difference maker in this series. Bruins now have six power-play goals in four games. 13-of-14 on the penalty kill so far, too.

— Nicholas W. Goss (@NickGossNBCSB) April 28, 2024

Maple Leafs getting outscored 6-1 on special teams.

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) April 28, 2024

Leafs stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander appeared visibly frustrated as Toronto fell into a three-goal deficit in the second period:

Frustration has started to set in for the Maple Leafs stars 😠 pic.twitter.com/PbnQBNigKD

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 28, 2024

Leafs players weren't the only ones frustrated by Saturday night's result:

Sitting in the arena with a full view of the ice, it's very clear that the Leafs refuse to properly dump pucks in and forecheck. The Bruins are just hanging in the neutral zone waiting for mistakes because they know the Leafs won't adjust and their special teams are terrible.

— Anthony Petrielli (@APetrielli) April 28, 2024

Every time the Bruins take a penalty I think to myself “this is the one where this thing flips” and it just never does. It’s so painful.

— Sam McKee (@SamAMcKee) April 28, 2024

After starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov was pulled following the second period, and Joseph Woll took over in net.

Athough the Leafs were missing Matthews, who did not return to the bench for the start of the third period, Marner scored early in the final frame to bring some life to Scotiabank Arena.

The Bruins responded by stifling the Leafs' offense and preventing the comeback from gaining momentum.

What a game Bruins are playing so far tonight. This isn’t about Leafs’ failures. Bruins just better team.

— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) April 28, 2024

After claiming both games in Toronto, the Bruins are now one win from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2021.

A fourth victory would mark Boston's successful recovery from being upset in the 2023 first round following a record-breaking Presidents' Trophy regular season.

Toronto has appeared in eight straight postseasons in the Matthews era, during which they have earned at least 40 regular-season wins six times.

The team has only advanced past the first round once in 2023, in a run that ended with a five-game second-round loss to the Florida Panthers.

The Leafs now need a Game 5 win in Boston on Tuesday in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are evened up after Game Two.

The Leafs used a late goal to take the lead in the third period Monday night and beat the Bruins 3-2 in TD Garden.

Boston struck early with a goal in the first period, but Toronto quickly matched to make it 1-1. The even score didn't last long as David Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead late in the first period.

Boston held its lead for much of the second period before the Maple Leafs once again tied things up right before the end of the period on a goal from John Tavares.

In the 12th minute of the third period, Auston Matthews gave Toronto its first lead of the series, which they held onto through the final minutes.

After the loss, fans lamented the Bruins' sluggish third-period performance.

AUSTON MATTHEWS GIVES THE LEAFS THE LEAD 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/PivFaNVZu0

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 23, 2024

In both third periods this series the Bruins haven't even tried to play hockey

— Alex (@bigbadbruins73) April 23, 2024

Not sure why the Bruins wouldn’t have stayed with Swayman. Sounds like overthinking ….. #StanleyCupPlayoffs

— Tom Funk (@TFunkstr) April 23, 2024

And a lazy pass right off the jump after Matthews goal.

Bruins' execution has been poor in this one.

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 23, 2024

Awful performance by the Bruins.

The "positive" is that it was still only a goal game, but just an especially awful showing in the third period when you need it.

Anyways, Bruins in 7.

— Alex (@bigbadbruins73) April 23, 2024

FINALLY.

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins.

Series tied 1-1.

Amazing game from Ilya Samsonov and Auston Matthews.

— Lukas Weese (@Weesesports) April 23, 2024

https://twitter.com/jeffrosa_/status/1782587830666920015

Flat. Bruins looked absolutely flat.

— Jake Jardin (@LLCool_Jake14) April 23, 2024

Bruins series is 100% going 7 games

— Kyle Hamel (@K_Hamel_12) April 23, 2024

Bruins didn’t deserve to win that one.

— Jon Dodd (@JonJonnymac34) April 23, 2024

And that’s why you don’t change goalies after a 5-1 win

Should have kept Swayman and put Ullmark in for game 3

Silly Bruins

— Stix (@Stix617) April 23, 2024

Now, the series will head to Toronto tied and the Maple Leafs looking to take a series lead. The Bruins were dominant in Game One, winning 5-1, and they'll need to make some adjustments to have another performance like that on Wednesday.

If not, Boston could be looking at a deficit to overcome.

Auston Matthews' quest for 70 goals fell short in Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Toronto Maple Leafs star remained in good spirits.

"I wanted it, for sure, but it just wasn't meant to be," Matthews told reporters. "The most important thing is the team and the team's success, making sure I'm pulling my weight as a leader on this team and help the team win. That's where my focus is at."

Matthews finished the 2023-24 season with an NHL-high 69 goals, 12 more than any other player. He would have been the ninth player in NHL history to top the 70-goal mark and the first since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny pulled off the feat in 1992-93.

"He's played so tremendously well," Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "I know there's been a lot of focus on him reaching 70 goals; you kind of lose sight of how well he's played. The way he's played these last two games—give him those types of chances and those types of shots, and he could have had 75. It wasn't meant to be, and that's OK—69 is an unbelievable season."

Despite his goal-scoring prowess, Matthews will almost certainly fall short of winning his second Hart Trophy. Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is the overwhelming favorite to win that award after finishing with 138 points. Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid will also likely finish ahead of Matthews in the final voting.

Matthews' undoing is his lack of assists, as he finished with just 38 this season. He had been over 40 assists in each of the previous two years.

The Leafs finished the regular season with four straight losses but still made the playoffs with 102 points.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning are officially headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

CONFIRMED 🍁

The @MapleLeafs have clinched a spot in the #StanleyCup Playoffs! pic.twitter.com/Gw8r1KEGby

— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2024

WE'RE IN. ⚡ pic.twitter.com/tzlcT87U8p

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 6, 2024

Following losses by the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals, the Maple Leafs punched their ticket to the playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings' defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers also allowed Tampa Bay to secure its spot.

Here's a look at the updated NHL standings following the Maple Leafs and Lightning clinching their respective playoff berths.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Bruins: 45-17-15, 105 points (Clinched playoffs)
2. Florida Panthers: 48-24-5, 101 points (Clinched playoffs)
3. Toronto Maple Leafs: 43-23-9, 95 points (Clinched playoffs)

Metropolitan Division

1. New York Rangers: 52-21-4, 108 points (Clinched playoffs)
2. Carolina Hurricanes: 48-22-7, 103 points (Clinched playoffs)
3. New York Islanders: 34-27-15, 83 points

Wild-Card Race

1. Tampa Bay Lightning: 43-26-7, 93 points (Clinched playoffs)
2. Philadelphia Flyers: 36-30-11, 83 points
3. Washington Capitals: 36-30-10, 82 points
4. Detroit Red Wings: 37-31-8, 82 points
5. Pittsburgh Penguins: 35-30-11, 81 points
6. Buffalo Sabres: 37-35-5, 79 points
7. New Jersey Devils: 36-36-4, 76 points
8. Ottawa Senators: 33-38-4, 70 points
9. Montreal Canadiens: 29-34-12, 70 points
10. Columbus Blue Jackets: 25-39-12, 62 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)

Western Conference

Central Division

1. Dallas Stars: 48-19-9, 105 points (Clinched playoffs)
2. Colorado Avalanche: 48-22-6, 102 points (Clinched playoffs)
3. Winnipeg Jets: 46-24-6, 98 points (Clinched playoffs)

Pacific Division

1. Vancouver Canucks: 47-21-8, 102 points (Clinched playoffs)
2. Edmonton Oilers: 45-24-5, 95 points
3. Vegas Golden Knights: 42-25-8, 92 points

Wild-Card Race

1. Nashville Predators: 44-28-4, 92 points
2. Los Angeles Kings: 40-25-11, 91 points
3. St. Louis Blues: 40-32-4, 84 points
4. Minnesota Wild: 36-30-9, 81 points
5. Seattle Kraken: 31-31-13, 75 points
6. Calgary Flames: 34-36-5, 73 points
7. Arizona Coyotes: 31-39-5, 67 points
8. Anaheim Ducks: 25-47-4, 54 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)
9. Chicago Blackhawks: 22-48-5, 49 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)
10. San Jose Sharks: 17-50-8, 42 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)

Toronto center Auston Matthews leads the team with 99 points, while his 63 goals are the most of any NHL player. William Nylander is right behind Matthews for the team lead in points, recording 95 of his own which includes 55 assists.

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has notched 21 wins compared to just six losses, continuing his strong second half of the season.

The Lightning booked their seventh straight trip to the playoffs and will look to make it further after a first-round defeat in 2023. Tampa Bay had reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous three seasons.

In the team's 2023-24 campaign, forward Nikita Kucherov holds the NHL lead with 133 points. This includes 43 goals and 90 assists in 75 games played.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has also performed admirably after missing the start of the season after undergoing back surgery, owning a record of 29-17-2. He's allowed 133 total goals in his 48 appearances while recording 1,216 saves.

The Lightning have hit their stride as of late, winning 10 of their past 12 games.

As for the Maple Leafs, they currently hold a record of 43-23-9. They secured their eighth straight playoff appearance on Friday after their Stanley Cup hopes ended in the second round of the playoffs in 2023.

The Maple Leafs will be seeking their 14th Stanley Cup, while the Lightning will attempt to win their fourth cup.