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Winning a playoff round is difficult and should be celebrated as such, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have larger goals ahead and will face their toughest opponent of the past decade.
Toronto squares off against the defending champion Florida Panthers in round two, with Game 1 slated for Monday night. Florida is arguably the best defensive team of its generation, led by Selke finalists Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, Vezina-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and a nearly impenetrable system engineered by head coach Paul Maurice. It will be vitally important for the Leafs to keep their cool against a Panthers team that has excelled at agitating their opponents, en route to two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
“Emotion plays a big part of the game,” Berube said following Saturday’s optional practice via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. “We all know that. Discipline and composure, we got through one round, and it has to be more elevated now.”
And it was an emotional first round, after all. Toronto dispatched Ottawa in six games, surrendering a 3-0 series lead, before fighting back to win Game 6, with William Nylander and Auston Matthews raising their level in a closeout match. It’s all behind them now, after the team took a day off Friday. Florida previously eliminated Toronto in the second round during the 2023 playoffs.
“I don’t know about satisfied,” Berube said. “We’re happy we won, you’re supposed to be happy you won. It’s not easy to win a series, and the guys should be happy they won the series, but now we’ve moved on and we have to get prepared for Florida.”
Widely considered to be one of the most compelling second-round series, the Leafs may be able to draw on some intelligence from previous years. Toronto signed Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Steven Lorentz this summer, all of whom coming off a Stanley Cup victory with Florida. Ekman-Larsson logged major minutes as a No. 5 defenceman, Lorentz chipped in on the fourth line, while Stolarz backed up Bobrovsky throughout the run and is presented with an opportunity to beat one of his prior mentors.
Toronto is now tasked with advancing to the conference final for the first time since 2002, and it will take its best effort, along with heightened discipline against a Florida team that is looking to win back-to-back titles, with a suppressive defensive style.
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Rangers forward in a fight for his future amid new competition
The New York Rangers are preparing to start a transitional season, following the arrival of new head coach Mike Sullivan and some important adjustments to the squad. Among the players facing a decisive season is Brennan Othmann, a left winger who was selected in the first round of the 2021 NHL draft. Othmann, 22, is entering his third and final year of his contract with the Rangers, but his expiring deal is not the only reason why he will have to prove himself this season. The Canadian has had difficulties meeting the high expectations around him and although he may no longer have time to establish himself as a top-six forward, this is the best time to establish himself in a lower role. Othmann's clock is ticking as competition for roster spot grows Last season, he only recorded two assists in 22 games with the Rangers, but tallied 12 goals and eight assists in 27 games with the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. In any case, now Othmann is facing heavier competition within the squad. Both Gabe Perreault and Carey Terrance have left good impressions during preseason camps, and with both having multiple years left on their contracts, the possibility that Othmann's days on the team are numbered increases. That said, the New York team needs depth, especially in the bottom-six, and Othmann must react and respond. He has the necessary grit and physicality, and if he manages to establish himself there, he could become a solid player within the bottom lineups.
6 winners (and 1 loser) from Lions' thrilling win over Ravens on MNF
The Detroit Lions marched into Baltimore in Week 3, under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, and dominated the Ravens. That might not even be an apt enough word to describe what Detroit did to the Ravens' offense and to Lamar Jackson in this clash. Seven sacks on one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in addition to multiple pass breakups and several near interceptions led to the Lions leaving M T Bank Stadium 2-1. There were a few hugely impactful players on this contest, while some struggled to make their mark in what turned out to be a slugfest between two teams you should be dying to see in the Super Bowl this winter. 5 winners and 2 losers from Lions' huge win over Ravens on the road Winner: Jared Goff It is very, very hard to out duel a perennial MVP candidate like Jackson. Goff did so. With 202 passing yards on 20-28 passing efficiency, Goff managed to control this game like nothing else. He stayed pretty solid in the pocket, allowing the young guards in front of him to pass block for him - which, by the way, they did so with near ease. Goff doesn't have to toss up bombs to Jameson Williams in every game to be a winner. He just has to do what he did in this win - control what you can control, and operate with trust in your front line. One note for him, though: kindly pick up some tips on how to increase your speed from Jahmyr Gibbs. He was surgical, full stop. And that helped chug the Lions' offense right along. Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown St. Brown was always going to be a huge piece of this win. The oft-reliable receiver finished up the contest with 77 receiving yards and one touchdown, and a game-sealing first down catch during a 4th and 2 situation late in the game when the Lions were up. He made it known all game long that Baltimore was going to have issues draping coverage on him. And, congratulations to him for moving to third all time on the Lions' receiving touchdown list. Winner: David Montgomery Montgomery, aka Knuckles, had to pick up some slack for his Sonic, Gibbs, in this one. He had multiple huge breakoff runs, and ended the game with 151 rushing yards and two scores. He also iced the game with a touchdown, making it impossible for the Ravens to get back into the contest. Through the first two weeks of the year, Montgomery had 82 total rushing yards. He nearly doubled that total in one game. Winner: Al-Quadin Muhammad Muhammad was thrust into a starting role this week after Marcus Davenport went on the IR with a pec strain. To anyone who has been paying attention to Lions football over the last few weeks, it felt like a blessing in disguise that Muhammad would finally be getting the reps he deserves in this contest. For anyone not paying attention, they were introduced to Muhammad with 2.5 sacks and two stuffs. He's the best answer to the hole left by Davenport that the Lions have, and he's not a terrible one. It was clear that Aidan Hutchinson was greatly aided by him actually providing pass rush and pressure on Jackson on the night, and it's exciting to think about his development over these next few games with Davenport not expected back for a few weeks. Winner: Jake Bates We have to give Bates his flowers for his tackle on a Ravens return that could've ended really badly for Detroit. Bates got the hit on Rasheen Ali, who looked like he had an open runway for a touchdown had he not gotten him down prior to then. Bates continues to prove why he's such a critical piece of this Detroit team, despite not playing the flashiest of positions, necessarily. Winner: Lions offensive line There was a drive for the Lions in the 2nd quarter that lasted a whopping 10 minutes and 48 seconds that ended in a touchdown for Montgomery, and the offensive line was absolutely gassed. ESPN's Laura Rutledge said during her sideline report after that drive that the line was so tired, that Tate Ratledge was shaking sweat out of his mullet. They all worked ridiculously hard during this win, and it was yet another confidence building experience for their young guards in Ratledge and Christian Mahogany. READ MORE: Lions have a perfect trade target conveniently falling right into their laps Loser: Terrion Arnold This probably isn't surprising, but Arnold is the one loser from this contest. Back when the game looked like it could slip from Detroit, Arnold was getting targeted heavily by Jackson and the Ravens' receivers, allowing numerous big gains for De'Andre Hopkins during one series and committing a terrible DPI on that same drive. He had so much hype from training camp that you have to wonder if there's something going on with Arnold and his previously problematic groin injury. He's a step slow and not doing a good job of sticking to his man in coverage through three weeks of action. It's been a tough schedule to start, but he's got to pick it up at some point.
Former HC does not hold back on Cowboys' atrocious defense
The Dallas Cowboys have played about as poorly as they possibly can on defense through the first three weeks of the NFL season. One week after needing a pair of late field goals from kicker Brandon Aubrey to outlast the New York Giants, 40-37, in overtime, the Cowboys dropped their second game in three weeks on Sunday in a 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears, showing no signs of improvement whatsoever. Rex Ryan blasts Cowboys defense Simply put, Dallas just looks lost on defense, leading to former head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan going off during Monday's edition of "Get Up." "Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, this defense comes up with even a worse performance," Ryan said. ... "You're so dumb. I can't stand it. Do something. I don't want to hear about you can't rush the passer. Then how about we send more players on the quarterback. We can't play zone coverage, then how about we play man coverage. You guys stink. Dumbsday defense." Dallas had no answers for the Bears and QB Caleb Williams on Sunday. After struggling to find a rhythm in the first two games, Williams was sensational, throwing for 298 yards and four TDs to pick up head coach Ben Johnson's first win in Chicago. As good as Williams was, though, the Cowboys defense certainly helped. Dallas (1-2) has given up 92 points through three games and is 28th in the league in opponent points per game (30.7 PPG), per TeamRankings. Something Ryan alluded to in his rant was Dallas' inability to stop Chicago on a 19-play, 76-yard drive in the third quarter that took 9:54 off the clock. It was a 24-14 game before then, and the Cowboys were picked off on each of their final three drives afterward to seal their fate. Quarterback Dak Prescott has been solid, accounting for 800 passing yards — fourth-most in the league — and three TDs. Before Sunday, he had only thrown one interception. The run game has also contributed four combined TDs between Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, providing a much-needed balance. That has ultimately not mattered with the defense unable to get stops and limit drives from opposing teams. To make matters worse, star wideout CeeDee Lamb suffered a left ankle injury in the loss on Sunday, and it sounds like he could land on injured reserve, which would put him out of action for at least four games. That is the last thing Dallas needs right now. The team will likely be without its best player for an extended period of time, in addition to having an abysmal defense, which does not sound encouraging going forward for a franchise that always seems to be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Bryson DeChambeau has already made a powerful Ryder Cup enemy
The Ryder Cup doesn't start until Friday, but there's already a nasty feud bubbling between Team USA and Team Europe. Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, who have had their disagreements in the past, are renewing their rivalry ahead of the team competition at Bethpage Black. At the "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere in July, DeChambeau told People he plans on playing mental games with McIlroy at the Ryder Cup. "I’ll be chirping in [McIlroy’s] ear this time," DeChambeau said. "Now, if we go up against each other, I mean, you can be sure of it." Rory McIlroy takes beef with Bryson DeChambeau to another level McIlroy apparently wasn't a fan of DeChambeau's Ryder Cup plan. In a recent interview with Ewan Murray of The Guardian, the Northern Irishman took the smack talk to another level. "I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people. That is basically what I think of that," McIlroy said. "To get attention, he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others." McIlroy and DeChambeau have always had a heated rivalry on the golf course, but this feud goes beyond the tee boxes and greens. This time, McIlroy took a direct shot at DeChambeau, the man—not DeChambeau, the golfer. This could get ugly at Bethpage, and McIlroy knows it. "I think it’s inevitable something is going to happen in New York," McIlroy said. "It might not involve me, but it is inevitable that something will happen, whether like in Rome last time or something else." The Rome incident McIlroy referenced was the spat with Patrick Cantlay and his caddie, Joe LaCava. McIlroy and LaCava had a heated argument on the 18th green after a match, and it even spilled over to the parking lot afterward. We likely won't see another argument that inches that close to a physical altercation, but McIlroy's and DeChambeau's comments don't help matters. Get your popcorn ready for a fiery week at Bethpage Black.
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