Maple Leafs’ Rielly & Woll show their courage at the start of the 2-0 series – Hockey Writer – Toronto Maple Leafs

It’s been 38 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last led 2-0 in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team then relied on names like Wendel Clark, Mike Allison and Russ Courtnall. Börje Salming is still anchoring the blue line, with goalkeepers being Ken Wregget and Allan Bester. That team ended up falling into the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, a painful reminder that a strong start doesn’t guarantee anything.

Related: NHL Rumors: Sabre, Magneto, Blues, Mammoth

But the 2025 Maple Leaf version shows something different. Not only did they win—they rose at the most important moments. It’s a maple leaf doing this, showing their courage and rising to the occasion.

Goalkeeper Joseph Woll is high under pressure

Without Joseph Woll, Toronto’s 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers wouldn’t have happened. After 18 days of not seeing the game, Woll has a high-stakes situation with the defending Stanley Cup champion. Despite his inexperience – over 10 NHL playoff appearances, he responded with calmness, timely savings and quiet confidence, which stabilized the team.

His total in this series (875 percent savings, 4.01 goals average) may not be impressed on paper. But Wall’s performance was better than Panthers goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky, at .817 and 4.69 respectively. On top of that, Woll delivered in a tightening time, saving keys in games 1 and 2 when Florida was late to play with a tie.

Related: This year’s Maple Leaf is built for post-season chaos

From his short playoff history, Woll is now 5-2 in the playoffs with 0.919 SV% and 2.25 GAA. He has the Panthers numbers, playing against them 3-2 in the playoffs, including the guts from two years ago, another clutch against the Boston Bruins last spring. In both cases, Wall fell into the cold and gave Maple Leaf a real chance. He does this again now – turning the question mark of his goal into a calming pillar.

Morgan Rielly proves he is a big game player

Morgan Rielly has long been the subject of fan debate, especially in the regular season. But in the playoffs, this narrative doesn’t hold true. It’s simple, he’s one of the best playoff defenders in franchise history this The best.

With two assists in Game 2, Rielly scored three goals and three assists in eight playoff games this year. He scored 27 points in his last 33 playoff games, with his 14 professional playoff goals leading All Maple Leafs Defensemen and leading Ian Turnbull, with the two leading two.

In total, Rielly scored 46 points in 65 playoff games. This put him only 49 points behind Salming’s all-time franchise record (in 81 games) and leads Salming’s scoring rate with a 0.67-point shooting percentage per game. Among the Toronto defensemen, only 0.82 Turnbull is more effective at 0.82.

Related: Remember Borje Salming: “King” of Maple Leafs’ defenseman

Even on defense, Rielly emerged. He set a playoff record for goals for defensive players. But the bigger draw is that his professional playoff Plus/Sinus’ Plus-17 was second only to Carl Brewer’s Plus-25 in franchise history. Legends like Tim Horton (Minus-12) and Salming (Minus-11) never reached this mark. Rielly shows that he is not only contributing, but helping his team win.

Maple Leaf is learning to win the right way

What distinguishes this version of maple leaves from past maple leaves? It’s not just talent. When the pressure is at its highest, this is the ability to rise.

Woll did not enter the series as a playoff goalkeeper, but he became one of them games by game. Rielly not only puts forward points — his lead in the playoff lights, defending and rewriting franchise records. Together they represent a shift in team identity: a group no longer fears this moment, but a moment to embrace it.

Related: Auston Matthews of Maple Leaf emerges from chaos

There is still a long way to go in this series, and there is also this playoffs. But if this is the new standard for Maple Leaf, they finally give fans a reason to believe that this kind of run might be different. Because for the first time in decades, the team has not folded at the desired weight. This is rising.

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]