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RALEIGH, N.C. — Take it from a man within the warmth of a playoff chase; groups just like the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have lots in frequent with golf equipment presently scrapping it out for his or her post-season lives.

“They’re in a totally totally different world proper now,” stated Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice on Thursday morning, forward of what turned out to be a 6-2 loss to the Leafs for his membership. “They’re enjoying with their meals. They obtained sufficient; they’re good. Two groups, I don’t know they strategy the sport any much less hungry, however we actually have much more at stake.”

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That’s been true of Toronto’s previous three opponents. Almost every week in the past, a not-dead-yet Ottawa Senators staff introduced the home in a recreation the place the Leafs stumbled late, however scraped out a shootout victory. On Tuesday in New York, the Islanders — who, together with the Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins are attempting to lock down one of many last two Japanese Convention wild-card berths — pulled away from the Buds within the third interval, successful 7-2. Then on Thursday, Toronto turned in its greatest effort of the previous week to beat Maurice’s squad.

No person on the Leafs will look you within the eye and say it’s simple for the membership to match the emotion of the groups they’ve been dealing with, however veteran Mark Giordano famous the contests do function a pleasant preview of coming sights.

“I feel, individually, it’s as much as you to stand up for video games and no matter motivates you, you get your self in the best mindset,” Giordano stated in Florida a pair hours earlier than the victory. “As a staff, these are nice video games to play in. the opposite staff is clearly enjoying to try to get right into a playoff spot. For us, it’s about feeling that depth and understanding the sensation we’re going to get from these video games is a playoff-like really feel from the opposite aspect. So it’s good for us and we’ve simply obtained to proceed to get higher and sharpen up and be prepared for our playoffs.”

Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe acknowledged it may be a problem to convey the identical fireplace because the opposition to those video games, however famous — even earlier than the Leafs had a powerful effort versus Florida — that his staff has began its latest outings nicely. The trick is carrying it via for a full 60.

“That’s actually what quite a lot of the NHL is about, is doing it for longer and more durable than the opposition,” he stated Thursday. “That’s a giant factor, little question. We’re going to must manufacture that [emotion] and create our personal sense of urgency, which we’ve mentioned.”

In fact, it’s not just like the Leafs are enjoying for nothing. They’ve obtained the within observe on the Tampa Bay Lightning for home-ice benefit in a Spherical 1 matchup that’s felt locked in since Christmas, holding a five-point benefit on the Bolts with two video games in hand. Moreover, Toronto is conditioning itself to implement a playoff-style of hockey. That’s why, after the win in Florida, everybody was happy with how they closed out the third-period versus a hard-charging staff.

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“That’s clearly what we need to do, that’s what we need to be about,” centre Auston Matthews stated after the win. “We’ve been a staff that’s been constantly good with that and I feel, as of late, slipped a bit bit. I feel that is good for us as an entire simply to form of acquire that confidence again and shut out a recreation like we did tonight.”

In fact, having the cushion the Leafs do does enable them actually luxuries. A part of the rationale Keefe has generally gone with lineups of seven defencemen and 11 forwards — as was the case Thursday — is as a result of it permits him to verify all 9 of Toronto’s NHL-calibre blue-liners get some reps.

No person desires a state of affairs the place a man is scratched for a month straight, solely to be thrown into the fireplace of a playoff sequence with rust on his blades. Keefe’s choice to relaxation Morgan Rielly and go along with seven D towards Florida opened the door for Luke Schenn to get again within the lineup, whereas additionally affording Erik Gustafsson the possibility to get some extra ice, together with on the highest power-play unit.

“I feel that’s what you’re on the lookout for, proper?” Keefe stated. “That’s a part of the place we’re at right here with being wholesome. You give Rielly the evening off tonight, so that you’re going to lean on Gus a bit bit extra, which is an effective likelihood for him to get comfy and present his abilities. I believed he moved the puck rather well, very clear on the ability play and performed extra minutes at five-on-five [15:10] too.”

In fact, the Leafs are integrating new forwards, too, after choosing up so many our bodies forward of the March 3 commerce deadline. A type of guys is Sam Lafferty, who registered his first purpose in his tenth recreation in Blue and White on Tuesday towards the Islanders.

“Good to get one, fairly fortunate bounce,” Lafferty stated of the shot that glanced off his physique and into the web. “[It’s] all the time good to provide a bit bit. I’m simply feeling an increasing number of comfy with the group and we simply need to preserve taking steps right here.”

Keefe agreed it was good to see Lafferty be rewarded, particularly on a play that began with him creating an offensive-zone turnover after which going to the web. That’s all very a lot within the job description for him and fellow newcomer Noel Acciari. As is the case on the again finish, Keefe is transferring items round a bit up entrance — particularly within the absence of the injured Ryan O’Reilly — and the flexibility each Lafferty and Acciari convey with the flexibility to play wing or centre is a pleasant
boon for the underside two strains.

“[Acciari] and Lafferty [have both] actually given us much more choices, much more depth and much more consistency when it comes to their effort and competitiveness in that space of the lineup,” the coach stated.

In fact, Lafferty has a whole dressing room of latest faces to attach with and a method he’s mixing in together with his new mates is by increasing his household. Earlier this month, Schenn and his spouse welcomed a brand new child; goalie Ilya Samsonov left this present street journey in New York and simply introduced he has a brand new son, and Lafferty expects to hitch the dad membership proper because the season winds down.

There are 4 days off between the common season and playoffs in April and Lafferty is optimistic he and his spouse, awaiting their first little one, might have threaded the needle completely.

“It needs to be proper after the common season,” Lafferty stated. “Hopefully proper in between [the season and playoffs].”

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