First post in a loooong while for me:
Mixed feelings on the match-up with the Leafs... I think on paper they're the most beatable team compared to the other possible match-ups in Florida or Tampa Bay; the obvious weaknesses being their goaltending or lack thereof and their stars' tendency to disappear when the games get tough. That being said, I have serious questions about this version of the Bruins ability to take advantage of that match-up. For the most part this year, they've had trouble holding leads late in games and seem to lack that killer instinct to finish teams off when they're down. Letting the Leafs hang around could be disastrous given the potency of the Leafs' offense.
Oddly enough for a coach who has done nothing but win (in the regular season) since he got here, my biggest question mark in this series is Monty. How will he react if things are tight or start going sideways? Will he panic like he did last year? I know for certain if he starts talking about how good/entertaining the games are after a loss like he did last year I'm going to start panicking hahaha.
Worst part about this match-up is all the off-ice baggage that could come with it. I think we can all agree that this year's Bruins have over-achieved compared to where many of us had them going into the season. If they were to fall to Tampa Bay or Florida, after the dust settles, I think we'd be able to look back on the positives and appreciate what would be perceived as an overall pretty successful season. Don't think we'll be able to say the same about a loss to Toronto. A loss to the Leafs will be immortalized forever as the Leafs' finally "slaying the dragon" and all that gak. A national holiday will probably be declared and (those of us in Canada at least) will never ever ever hear the end of it.
So, if nothing else, for the sake of my sanity, beat those @#$@ Leafs! Go Bruins!
