3 X-factors for the Maple Leafs heading into their second round matchup against the Panthers

Well, they actually did it. The Toronto Maple Leafs actually did the thing.
As we all know by now, the Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals to advance to the second round for the first time in 19 – yes – 19 years!
As Chris Cuthbert said during the game-winning goal scored by John Tavares in overtime, they finally caught lightning in a bottle and broke the 19-year curse. What a brilliant call by Cuthbert.
Now, with the first round finished, it’s time to go through three other x-factors for the Maple Leafs as they begin their second-round series against the Florida Panthers tonight.
1. Special Teams
Special teams are such an easy choice in any series, but given how both of these teams’ special teams performed in their first-round matchups, Toronto could benefit from this if they get things going on both units.
For their first-round series against Tampa Bay, I said Toronto’s penalty kill could be an x-factor for them and although their penalty kill wasn’t lockdown like it was against the Lightning in the regular season, they still limited Tampa Bay to just five power-play goals in 21 attempts (76.1% PK) with four of them coming in game one alone when the Lightning wen …

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Author: Joseph Zita / The Leafs Nation

3 reasons Raptors would hang up phone in any Trae Young trade offers

3 reasons Raptors would hang up phone in any Trae Young trade offers

The 2022-23 NBA season did not go as the Toronto Raptors hoped. They stumbled through a season of injuries, regression, and disappointment to finish ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-41 record. A Chicago Bulls team bearing a similar backpack of mediocrity knocked them off in the Play-In Tournament. That wasn’t supposed to be […]
3 reasons Raptors would hang up phone in any Trae Young trade offers – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Josh Cornelissen / Raptors HQ

Lightning take game one easily as Leafs fall 7-3: Game Highlights

It was all Tampa Bay in game one. They dominated from start to finish. The Leafs briefly got themselves back in the game in the second period but a match penalty from Michael Bunting erased any possibility of a comeback. Below are the highlights from the game.
Tampa struck first with a goal from the bottom six. The Leafs turned the puck over trying to clear the zone and Corey Perry threw it on net. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare cleaned up the rebound…

THE LIGHTNING STRIKE FIRST! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/KjyT5WsxOm
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 18, 2023

The Lightning doubled their lead on a similar play a few minutes later. Another scramble in front. This time it was Anthony Cirelli finishing the rebound…

Anthony Cirelli on the doorstep! 💥 pic.twitter.com/jpr7pS5Q1n
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 18, 2023

With time just about to expire in the first the Bolts made it 3-0. Mikhail Sergachev set up Nikita Kucherov on the powerplay. He rocketed a one-timer past Ilya Samsonov…

Welcome back playoff Kucherov. 😮‍💨
Don’t miss any of the Game 1 action between the Maple Leafs and Lightning live on Sportsnet! pic.twitter.com/eBaCiUGB7X
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 19, 2023

Toronto got back in the game in the middle frame. They responded with a powerplay marker of their own. John Tavares found Ryan O’Reilly in front and he made no mistake. 3-1 Lightning…

PPG FOR ROR!!! pic.twitter.com/uPNC4gZyO6
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 19, 2023

Shortly after O’Reilly’s goal, Samsonov made a couple huge stops on Perry to keep the game within two…

huge stop from Samsonov pic.twitter.com/yTZA0ADb7F
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 19, 2023

The Leaf’s powerplay connected again later in the second. Tavares set the screen in front and William Nylander wired a wrist shot blocker side to cut the lead to one…

😎 PLAYOFF STYLES 😎 pic.twitter.com/X4CTfGq4QI
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 19, …

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Author: Scott Ony / The Leafs Nation

Radim Zohorna makes first impression, Toronto continues strong push: Marlies Weekly

It was a losing week for the Marlies, but they did get an exciting addition, who could provide some needed size to the forward group.
Toronto began the week with a school day game against Rockford, hoping to extend their lead in the North Division. And well, they did just that.
Max Ellis scored two big goals for the Marlies, in the second and third periods, to help them push past the IceHogs 5-3. Pontus Holmberg also found the back of the net, with an assist going to Tommy Miller, who had two in the game.
Erik Kallgren stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced and at the end of the game had an 8-5-2 record with an .885 save percentage.
Those school day games are loud and likely helped give Toronto a push in the right direction. However, you couldn’t say the same about Friday’s game in Hershey.
The Marlies started off very slow only tallying 11 shots through the first two periods while the Bears put up double that. Hershey was able to find the back of the net three times in the second period, and honestly, it didn’t look like Toronto had it in them to come back.
But they pushed.
Marc Johnstone started the scoring, finding the back of the net for his …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Nate Pearson has a good outing, Kevin Kiermaier makes baseball fun, and more, as the Blue Jays tie the Pittsburgh Pirates

Will the Blue Jays rue the day where they had the bases loaded, no outs, and a 3-2 count, only for the game to end in a tie?

No, because it’s just spring training, and game results don’t really matter.
That said, it is a bit disappointing, as even a win in spring training makes the fanbase happy.
Let’s look at the player of the game, as well as other notes worth mentioning.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game:
Today’s player of the game belongs to the train himself, Nate Pearson.
Did he walk in a run when he came into the game with the bases loaded and two outs? Sure. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have quite an impressive outing. It’s also worth mentioning that the walk came on eight pitches; at that point, you just tip your cap to the batter.
His second inning of work was fantastic. Pearson blew a 101 mph fastball by the poor Pirate hitter and his secondary stuff was absolutely nasty. His knuckle-curve sits in the low 80’s and has a sharp, late break. His slider also generated two whiffs as well.

In this outing, Nate Pearson showed why he’s more than just a flame throwing pitcher.
Yes, he hit 101 mph to get his only strikeout, but look at the knuckle curve (second clip), or even his two sliders for whiffs.
If he can stay healthy, he’ll be fantastic.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/Qr30NGgm8j
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 2, 2023

Moreover, Pearson threw 15 strikes of his 28 pitches, which is …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors: OG Anunoby injury comes at worst possible time

Raptors: OG Anunoby injury comes at worst possible time

The Toronto Raptors are fighting as hard as they can to make sure that they can stay alive in the Eastern Conference. Despite going into their matchup against the Golden State Warriors relatively healthy, the latest OG Anunoby injury update sandblasted all of their positive vibes away. Anunoby was fouled hard while going up for […]
Raptors: OG Anunoby injury comes at worst possible time – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Raptors rumors: Chris Boucher could be traded to make salaries match

Raptors rumors: Chris Boucher could be traded to make salaries match

The Toronto Raptors are in a very difficult situation, as they need to decide which players from this roster should be around for the long haul and which names should be sent away in order to get some more productive players in town. Chris Boucher has found himself squarely in the crosshairs.  Boucher started the […]
Raptors rumors: Chris Boucher could be traded to make salaries match – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

B/R’s strange Raptors/Lakers trade is laughably lopsided

B/R’s strange Raptors/Lakers trade is laughably lopsided

The Toronto Raptors are trying to show that they are a team that shouldn’t be trifled with in the Eastern Conference, but their 15-18 record means that they could be selling when the trade deadline turns around. Names like Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. will assuredly get asked about.  The Los Angeles Lakers might […]
B/R’s strange Raptors/Lakers trade is laughably lopsided – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Alek Manoah dominates the Pirates as Toronto starts series with 4-0 win

For those who observe Alek Manoah Day, they were able to celebrate for good reason.

The Blue Jays took the first of a three-game series from the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 behind a dominant performance from The Big Man, Alek Manoah. Manoah threw seven and a third innings, allowing only five hits, no runs, one walk, and six strikeouts en route to his 13th win of the season and his 20th quality start. He pitched in front of his college baseball team, the West Virginia Mountaineers, as they made the quick trip up to PNC Park to watch their former teammate do his thing.
Johan Oviedo, who was acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline in the Jose Quintana trade, started for the Pirates tonight. Oviedo struck out the side in the first inning, all on his slider. The Blue Jays were able to generate five base runners between the second and third innings, but they did 2022 Blue Jays things with them and ~stranded them all~.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, Oviedo was on a pitch count. Who knows if the Blue Jays would’ve had much success off of this guy had he not gotten to 75 pitches so soon.
Tyler Beede took over for Oviedo in the 4th, and he allowed a leadoff double t …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Fan-favorite Yuta Watanabe leaves Raptors, signs with Nets

Fan-favorite Yuta Watanabe leaves Raptors, signs with Nets

The Toronto Raptors unearthed a real gem when they found Yuta Watanabe in the scrap heap of the G League. Just a few years ago, Watanabe was trying to latch on long-term with the Memphis Grizzlies. Since then, he’s proven he can stick in the NBA by exhibiting a solid blend of improved offensive skills […]
Fan-favorite Yuta Watanabe leaves Raptors, signs with Nets – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ