Leafs aim to finally flip playoff script against battle-tested, back-to-back champs

The message from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and to themselves, has been consistent all season.

Head down, one foot in front of the other, don't look too far ahead.

Learn from a painful past, but don't dwell too long on the rear-view mirror's ugly reality.

Under the intense, never-ending spotlight of hockey's biggest market, and coupled with what could be a crushing weight of playoff baggage, it was the only way forward for a roster pockmarked by recent failures.

As players set individual career-highs and franchise records fell in 2021-22, Toronto never seemed to stray much from its collective resting heart rate, even during a sputtering start to the schedule.

"We just try to go out there and give ourselves the best opportunity on a daily basis," said captain John Tavares. "Whatever it is, we just want to go at it head-on."

"There's always topics of conversation floating around," added star sniper Auston Matthews. "There's only so much that we can control."

The Leafs will be looking to continue down that same path with blinders still in place as they pivot to meet their most daunting task to date -- the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the post-season.

"A massive challenge," said Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe, whose team hosts Game 1 of the best-of-seven series Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. "But when I look at our group, I think the harder the better.

"That's what we need."

The Leafs finished the schedule with 115 points, 10 more than the franchise's previous high, while their 54 wins eclipsed the old benchmark of 49.

Matthews became the first Toronto player to score 50 goals since 1993-94, then bagged five more to set a new Leafs' record for a season before eventually reaching