FTB: Playoffs, but not just yet

Are you excited to watch the Maple Leafs first playoff game? How excited? Come on, tell me! I can hear you through the internet tubes!

Well I hate to disappoint you, but if you haven’t been following that closely and are expecting “PLAYOFFS!!1!” to start this week; they don’t. In fact, we still don’t know when they will start.

For some teams in the league, the regular season is now already over as they have played all 56 games. Several more teams will wrap up their season tonight.

Yes, the Leafs have clinched a spot in the playoffs, and even first place in the division, but their regular season still has two more games stretched out over this whole week, and we actually aren’t even sure the playoffs will even start promptly after that.

Since the Canucks lost two weeks to the COVID situation, their disrupted schedule now extends out through Wednesday next week, and because of the Flames victory last night it needs to be played through for now since the Flames still have a non-zero chance of making the playoffs by winning their next four games, so long as also the Canadiens lose their next two games [which is a distinct possibility we all hope for given how the Habs are a terrible team].

There’s talk the league may cancel the Canucks last game or even two games, which are both against the Flames, if the circumstances result in both not having any meaning. There’s also a suggestion those games will go ahead but the playoffs will start before them anyway, but that’s just talk, and not yet confirmed.

What we do know is this week the Leafs will hit the road to end their regular season schedule. First they travel to play the Senators on Wednesday, and then finish the regular season in Manitoba against the Jets on Friday. None of these games really matter in the standings, except for possible very minor impacts on the selection order of the NHL Draft, but we have to slog through them anyway.

ICYMI

Here’s what we had to say this weekend.

Leafs clinch first division title in 21 years; here's what's happened since - ElSeldo
[SPECIES: I can't believe they have made eight Spiderman movies in the past 21 years, and almost all of them were terrible.]

Back to Excited Episode 142: Six Things Worth Noting - Arvind and Fulemin
The B2E duo chat about some items around the league that captured their attention, including why the Sabres are so bad, and why Taylor Hall is suddenly good since the Sabres traded him to the Bruins. [SPECIES: Spoilers: he was bad before only because he was on the Sabres.]

The Department of Player safety finally did something right for a change.

Montreal’s Joel Edmundson has been fined $1,000, for a dangerous trip on Toronto’s John Tavares.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 9, 2021

Went through the game again and Tavares was tripped a lot and they weren't called but I think the Edmundson fine might be from this

This could've really injured him depending on how he landed. I'll keep looking though. pic.twitter.com/SsnwBTkvyu

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 9, 2021

Other News

Please arrange a haircut for Wayne Simmonds, I don’t care where MLSE has to pay to send him and his barber to legally be allowed to do it, they set the precedent here by allowing others on the team to do it.

Wayne Simmonds started his post-game avail with this: "I need a haircut holy s***." #Leafs

"We've had a barber come in for most of the guys. Unfortunately I need a different type of barber, so my barber hasn't been able to come in. I'm hurting a little bit here."

— Joshua Clipperton (@JClipperton_CP) May 9, 2021

If you want to know why the Flames still aren’t eliminated, it’s because of plays like this one.

Alexandar Georgiev’s Next Save: New York or Elsewhere? - Blueshirt Banter
With one year left on his contract, the Rangers could use Georgiev as a trade piece to entertain interested teams, many of which who had shown interest prior to his re-signing and before the trade deadline.

Caps’ Wilson Ready To Move Forward After Rangers Fallout - Japers' Rink
After a ‘crazy couple of days’ in New York he is ready to shift his focus for Washington.

What’s next for Tyler Bozak and Jaden Schwartz? - St. Louis Game Time
[SPECIES: A return to Toronto?]

Arizona Coyotes and Rick Tocchet mutually agree to part ways - Five For Howling
The Coyotes will be in the hunt for a new head coach.

John Tortorella leaves a complicated legacy with the Columbus Blue Jackets - The Cannon
By his own acknowledgement, Torts couldn’t figure out the locker room dynamics of this team. I still maintain that there are things that went wrong this season which are not his fault, but at the same time he was also clearly not the solution to those problems.

Will you watch both meaningless Leafs games this week?