It appeared as though the Boston Bruins were going to win the Atlantic Division and obtain a No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
However, the Bruins limped down the stretch with three losses over their final four games and ultimately saw the Florida Panthers earn the Atlantic Division crown. It will definitely be interesting to see how the Bruins end up divvying up the goaltending duties between Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman throughout their postseason run.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs were firmly entrenched into the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division for a great deal of the 2023-24 season. Star forward Auston Matthews fell just short of reaching the 70-goal mark, but still had a sensational season. After winning their opening-round series a season ago, the Maple Leafs will look to have a repeat performance against a very talented opposition.
The highly-contested first-round series begins on Saturday, April 20.
(2) Boston Bruins vs. (3) Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 1: | Bruins 5, Maple Leafs 1 | Recap
Game 2: | Maple Leafs 3, Bruins 2 | Recap
Game 3: | Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 2 | Recap
Game 4: | Bruins 3, Maple Leafs 1 | Recap
Game 5*: | Tuesday, April 30, 7 p.m. | at BOS | TV: ESPN
Game 6*: | Thursday, May 2, TBD | at TOR | TV: TBD
Game 7*: | Saturday, May 4, TBD | at BOS | TV: TBD