Our trusty Maple Leafs beat writers were stuck in transit home from Florida due to some bad weather.
Our dedicated report card writers had the night off.
So, friends, you are stuck with me, the old hand, on series report card duty. It’s been a while so go easy on me.
The series MVPs
Auston Matthews: A+
Any of these top three here would be a fitting choice for series MVP. Matthews stands out for a few reasons.
He drew the toughest matchups all series and yet was on the ice for 13 goals for and just five against. He scored five times in the final four games of the series, including four at even strength and the huge opening goal in Game 6 that set the decider’s tone.
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Matthews also led the Leafs in possession and scoring chance share at even strength, and posted a 60 percent expected goals mark. His 35 scoring chances was tops in the NHL playoffs through six games.
He also drew two penalties, blocked 11 shots, had 14 hits and 41 faceoff wins. Plus his first NHL fight.
Dominance, all around.
Morgan Rielly: A+
Rielly took a lot of heat during the regular season, but he looked like a world-class No. 1 D in this series, outplaying Victor Hedman.
His clutch goals stood out the most, including the Game 3 overtime winner, but the bigger revelation is his all-around play was elite. He led the team in ice time, posted a 12-4 goal differential when on the ice at even strength, and teamed with Luke Schenn on the Leafs’ most reliable pairing all series.
Rielly has always been a big-game player, but he cemented that reputation here.
A .900 save percentage isn’t going to knock anyone out of their chair if they hadn’t watched the series.
But despite shaky moments, Samsonov emerged as calm under pressure in the most important moments, outdueling Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 3 and Game 6, holding his team in games long enough for the Leafs elite talent to break through with a key goal.
Samsonov had been good all season, but this was his chance to show he could carry this team when everything was on the line.
The Leafs just may have found their No. 1 for a while here, given he’s just 26 years old and a pending restricted free agent.
The starring cast
Mitch Marner: A
Marner’s series felt more under the radar than some others, but his influence was all over the scoresheet. He logged more than 23 minutes a night. He led the team in scoring with 11 points in six games, including two goals and five primary assists. He was also second to only Matthews in shot attempts, proving a dual threat far more than in some postseasons past.
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Marner ended up leading the Leafs in expected goals share when on the ice at even strength after moving to the second line mid-series and elevating that group to another level.
T.J. Brodie: B+
Brodie was maligned for his defensive play early in the series, as the Leafs were hemmed in their zone and struggled on the breakout. But he ultimately ended up playing huge minutes against the Lightning’s top stars and coming out ahead, with Toronto outscoring Tampa 4-3 in his time at even strength.
Brodie was fed a ton of shifts starting in the defensive zone and managed to come out even on the expected-goals front in the series. He was particularly noticeable in the late going, including a pivotal assist on Matthews’ goal in Game 6.
John Tavares: A
The man with the series-deciding goal is getting an A.
Tavares wasn’t always particularly dominant — and his struggles with William Nylander were a factor in splitting up the Matthews-Marner combo — but he gave the Leafs enough secondary scoring to prove a handful for a Tampa team playing without one of its best defensive defencemen.
Tavares finished the series with three even-strength goals, behind only Matthews, after struggling to produce in that department late in the regular season. And he was Toronto’s top player on the draw, too.
Ryan O’Reilly: A-
Just a gutsy performance, all around, for a veteran who was coming off injury late in the regular season and had to quickly integrate with a new team.
Coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t always help O’Reilly with the best linemates after he was demoted from the top six, but it never seemed to matter, as he was always in the middle of a battle.
His tying goal with the goalie out and less than a minute to play in Game 3 was one of the biggest turning points in the series.
William Nylander: B-
Nylander had such a marvelous season that he set the bar high for himself, and he didn’t always reach it throughout this series.
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But he had seven points in the six games, including some key setups and drawn penalties that helped turn the tide. Nylander was also a bit unlucky offensively in that he finished second to only Matthews in expected goals generated at five-on-five but only managed two points — both second assists — in those situations.
A breakout feels likely in Round 2.
The unsung heroes
Jake McCabe: B
It wasn’t always pretty. But he ate the toughest defensive assignments all series, bending but not breaking alongside Brodie, and the Lightning’s best players rarely broke through in the 22:48 per game McCabe was on the ice.
His physicality was badly needed with Jake Muzzin out, too, forcing Tampa to respect the middle of the ice when he was out there. McCabe ended up being on the receiving end of more hits at even strength than any other Leaf, and he drew two penalties to boot.
Luke Schenn: A+
Calm. Steady. Dependable. Just a remarkable performance, from start to finish. There was a debate within the fan base when he was acquired about whether Schenn would be an upgrade over their existing top seven blueliners, but that was quickly quieted when he emerged as one of Toronto’s very best players.
What a story he’s turning out to be.
Noel Acciari: B
Led all Leafs in hits (by a lot) with nearly seven per game. But more than that, Acciari was simply in the mix in puck battles every time he was on the ice.
His pair of goals in Games 3 and 4 also stood as noteworthy contributions from a winger in the bottom six, which was huge when the big guns were silenced for stretches.
Calle Jarnkrok: B-
Not a ton of offence given he played a lot with Matthews in the series — just two points — but Jarnkrok was solid defensively despite getting a lot of minutes up against some of the Lightning’s best players.
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Likely a better fit in the bottom six in Round 2.
A healthy scratch to start the series, Knies wasted no time in making an impact. Before long, he was in the top six. At 20 years old, in some of his first NHL games ever.
It wasn’t a coincidence he was on the ice for so many of the series’ biggest goals, either. Knies certainly hasn’t been intimidated by the moment so far and should have even more offence to give as he continues to get more comfortable.
His first NHL goal is coming any day now. The first of many.
The middle class
Mark Giordano: C+
A hard player to grade. The NHL’s oldest skater obviously had some down moments, but he also battled, especially in Game 6 when the pairings were scrambled.
Never the fastest skater, Giordano has to get by on his smarts and positioning, and those failed him at times in the series. That said, he had some nice moments on PP2 (where he picked up both his assists) and should be able to contribute as long as his minutes are dialled back to third-pair duty only.
Justin Holl: D-
Many will want an F here, and maybe you could justify that based on his disastrous Game 5 alone. But Holl was dealt incredibly difficult minutes in the series’ first five games, with a partner who was struggling, and should have been sat earlier than he was.
It didn’t help perceptions that his replacements in Game 6, Timothy Liljegren and Erik Gustafsson, looked far more comfortable, albeit in far more limited minutes. It’s hard to see him getting back in now, barring injury.
The Game 4 overtime winner was certainly a highlight of his tenure with the Leafs and bumps up his letter grade on its own. Kerfoot was otherwise pretty ineffective, as that was his only point and his expected goals share was an ugly 35 percent.
Michael Bunting: C+
Hard to grade given how his series went. But after getting suspended for three games — and sat for another — Bunting came into the lineup for Game 6 and was a catalyst throughout.
He’s earned a chance back in the top six in what will be a physical series with the Panthers.
The depth diggers
David Kampf: B-
Saddled with a zillion defensive zone starts and weak wingers, Kampf nonetheless was a decent worker. He won draws and ate a lot of important minutes on the penalty kill.
Sam Lafferty: C
Just not particularly noticeable, in any respect. Hard to see him getting back in the lineup, barring injuries, at this point.
Zach Aston-Reese: C+
More physicality, more shot blocks and more scoring chances than linemate Lafferty puts him ahead in the lineup if Keefe goes back to 12 forwards in Round 2.
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Timothy Liljegren: A-
Hard to quibble with the dependable 10 minutes he gave Toronto in Game 6 while coming in cold. He should get a few games here to get acclimatized, as Giordano needs a partner who’s playing with more confidence and can move the puck.
Erik Gustafsson: B-
He played just 7:38 in the series, so there’s not much to go off of, but that celebration picture at the top of this story is a keeper.
The suits
Sheldon Keefe: B
It wasn’t always pretty. Tampa coach Jon Cooper is a master tactician, and it was hard to argue that he didn’t get the better of the Leafs bench boss at times in the series.
But Keefe’s adjustments leading into Game 6 paid off in a big way, and the fact the Lightning’s stars couldn’t break through offensively at even strength all series was a huge factor that likely deserves more kudos toward Toronto’s staff.
Kyle Dubas: A-
The Leafs GM’s dramatic moves at the trade deadline, airlifting in six newcomers in the span of a few weeks, paid off enormously in this series. Add in a big series for Samsonov, the Leafs stars and even recent draft pick Knies, and everything was coming up Dubas throughout.
(Top photo of Erik Gustafsson and Ilya Samsonov: Andrew Bershaw / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)