Good morning Toronto Maple Leaf fans!

Today is the day we've been waiting for since May 14, 2022. It's time for the Leafs to extract their revenge on the Tampa Bay Lightning for ruining the party last spring.

Today, the 2023 NHL Playoffs really begin. Now, yes, last night half of the first round series began, but if the Leafs aren't playing does it really count?

Maple Leafs & Prospects Playoff Schedules
April schedules for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Marlies and prospects in the system still playing in the post-season.
PPP LeafsCathy Squires

Let's get those pesky non-Leafs teams out of the way first.

Carolina Hurricanes 2 vs New York Islanders 1
‌‌Hurricanes lead series 1-0

The Upshot: NY Islanders drop Game One to Canes 2-1; special teams the difference
HOW IT HAPPENED The Carolina Hurricanes scored on their first two power play opportunities of the night and that was enough to defeat the New York Islanders in
Eyes On Isles

Boston Bruins 3 vs Florida Panthers 1‌‌
Bruins lead series 1-0

Florida Panthers - Boston Bruins - April 17th, 2023
The official National Hockey League web site includes features, news, rosters, statistics, schedules, teams, live game radio broadcasts, and video clips.
NHL.com

Dallas Stars 2 vs Minnesota Wild 3 - DOUBLE OVERTIME!
Minnesota leads series 1-0

It Was the Worst of Times, It Was the Worst of Overtimes: Stars Lose 3-2 in Second Overtime
Stars lose Pavelski, heartbreaker in double overtime.
Defending Big DAnn Atkinson

Los Angeles Kings 4 vs Edmonton Oilers 3 - Overtime
Los Angeles leads series 1-0

GDB +1.0 Wrap Up: Oilers blow two-goal lead(s) as Kings open series with overtime win
The Los Angeles Kings have taken a 1-0 lead in their first-round serie…
OilersNationBrennan Delaney

Tonight the other half of the games happen:

New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils‌‌
7:00PM - Sportsnets, see below

Rangers vs Devils: Playoff Preview By The Numbers
For the second consecutive season, the Rangers have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After amassing a record of 47-22-13 and stockpiling 107 standings points, Gerard Gallant’s squad finished 3rd in the Metropolitan Division and have earned an opening round playoff matchup with their Hudson Ri…
Blueshirt BanterJack McKenna

Winnipeg Jets* vs Las Vegas Golden Knights
‌‌9:30PM - Sportsnets, see below

Mark Stone activated off LTIR, will return to Golden Knights’ lineup for Game 1 against Jets
The Vegas Golden Knights announced Monday that Mark Stone has been activated off long-term injured reserve and is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday night for Game 1 of the best-of-seven first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. MARK STONE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED OFF LTIR AND WILL PLAY GAME 1
Knights On IceJillian Wagner

Colorado Avalanche vs Seattle Kraken
‌‌10:00PM - Sportnets, see below

Tale of the Tape: Can the Kraken win an uphill battle?
The Kraken have one hell of a first round opponent in Colorado. But is there a chance for an upset? - Davy Jones’ Locker room
Davy Jones' Locker roomSky on Air

And, of course, the one we all want to see:

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning‌‌
7:30PM - FREE ON THE CBC BABY!

We will have a full preview up later today, but man it has been a long, long, wait to get to this point. The regular season was fun, watching players race to get to personal milestones was fun as the clock ticked down, but what we want to see is the Leafs show up and prove everyone wrong.

How to watch the NHL Playoffs in Canada (in English)

All NHL playoff games will be on television on a Sportsnet channel of some description. Not all games will be on the main channel, however.

All NHL playoff games will be on Sportsnet Now The listed price is $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year.

Caution: If you want to start a streaming package that runs to next season, you need the more expensive Premium version to avoid regional blackouts in the regular season. All Maple Leafs games broadcast by SN on TV were available to stream in the Leafs region this season with the Premium package. Other games were available on-demand the next day. (This is a new format for this season.)

Some games, noted as HNIC games in our previews, are on CBC on television and CBC Gem online. Gem is free, but making an account will be required to watch any channel out of your region in a convenient way.

Games in America are on regional broadcasters, ESPN/TNT/TBS and their related streaming services.

We also have some pre-playoff content for you as well, with a look at the potentials in this year's NHL draft, and a wrap up of the end of the Marlies regular season.

Marlies head to the playoffs consistently inconsistent
It was a wild weekend to end the Marlies regular season, and it made you wonder what is going on with this team which made first place in the North Division but has also lost 10 of their last 13 games.
PPP LeafsSpecies
NHL Draft Watch List: Final Edition
The regular season is over, and we know roughly which draft positions Toronto will pick at... for now. Here are some prospects who may be available in Toronto’s pick ranges that I have come to like through this season.
PPP LeafsBrigstew

To keep you entertained ahead of the game tonight:

The Hockey News has a story about Tavares babysitting Matthew Knies up. THN won't make a card to display. Anti-ghosts hockey news.

Sheldon Keefe speaks about the Lightning's physicality.

Sheldon Keefe on Tampa Bay’s tendency to mix it up physically: “That stuff doesn’t bother us... Our guys are going to stand their ground”
After practice on Monday, head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed the final preparations for the first-round matchup against Tampa Bay. Practice Lines – April 17 Leafs lines at final practice before G1 Bunting – Matthews – Marner Tavares – O’Reilly – Nylander Kerfoot – Acciari – Jarnkrok Aston-Reese – K…
Maple Leafs HotstoveMLHS Staff

The Calgary Flames lost their GM but kept the coach

Friedman: ‘Deteriorating relationship’ with Darryl Sutter played role in Brad Treliving’s exit
On the day that the Stanley Cup playoffs began, the biggest story in h…
FlamesNationRyan Pike

Enjoy your day everyone!

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