The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in the NHL Playoffs for the seventh straight year following a great 2022-23 regular season. Head coach Sheldon Keefe's team has its sights set on earning the franchise's 14th Stanley Cup, but up first is an opening-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
< p class="tagStyle_125jist-o_O-style_1tcxgp3-o_O-style_1pinbx1-o_O-style_48hmcm" data-mm-id="_7tnjn1rhl">Here's everything you need to know about the Maple Leafs' first round series.
- What Seed Are the Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL Playoffs?
- Who Are the Maple Leafs Playing in the 2023 Playoffs?
- Maple Leafs First Round Playoffs Schedule 2023
What Seed Are the Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL Playoffs?
The Maple Leafs finished the 2022-23 NHL regular season with a 50-21-11 record, which earned them t he No. 4 overall seed in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell Marner led the way for Toronto, recording a team-high 69 assists and tallying 30 goals while playing in 80 games. The Maple Leafs' most recent playoff appearance came in 2022 when they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a seven-game first-round series.
Who Are the Maple Leafs Playing in the 2023 Playoffs?
As the second-place finisher in the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs will play the Lightning — who posted the third-best record in the Atlantic Division — in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. This will be a typical best-of-seven series that follows the 2-2-1-1-1 format. That means the better seed (Toronto) will host Games 1 and 2, plus Games 5 and 7 if those are neces sary. The worse seed (Tampa Bay) hosts Games 3 and 4, plus Game 6 if that is necessary.
Looking ahead, if the Maple Leafs win this series and advance, they would face either the 1-seed Boston Bruins or the Florida Panthers (second wild card team) in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Maple Leafs First Round Playoffs Schedule 2023
The Maple Leafs' first-round playoff schedule is not fully set yet. We'll update this space once Toronto's full series information is available.
|
Game |
Date/Time |
Location |
TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Tuesday, April 18 (7:30 p.m. ET) |
Scotiabank Arena |
ESPN |
|
2 |
Thursday, April 20 (7 p.m. ET) |
Scotiabank Arena |
ESPN |
|
3 |
Saturday, April 22 (7 p.m. ET) |
Amalie Arena |
TBS |
|
4 |
Monday, April 24 (7:30 p.m. ET) |
Amalie Arena |
TBS |
|
5* (if necessary) |
TBD |
Scotiabank Arena |
TBD |
|
6* (if necessary) |
TBD |
Amalie Arena |
TBD |
|
7* (if necessary) |
TBD |
Scotiabank Arena |
TBD |