Potential Toronto Maple Leafs-Carolina Hurricanes playoff series schedule released
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a single win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Final, and the NHL is preparing for it.
Nothing is guaranteed for the Leafs as they still have to get past the Florida Panthers in a Game 7 matchup tonight, but that did not stop the league from putting together a hypothetical schedule just in case.
With the Western Conference Final set between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars, as well as the Carolina Hurricanes already through in the East, the NHL put together two potential schedules that are dependent on the result of tonight’s Game 7. One features the Leafs and the other has the Panthers.
If the Leafs find a way to eliminate Florida, Game 1 against the Hurricanes will go on Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT in Toronto. That would give the Maple Leafs just one day of rest between each series.
To make up for the quick turnaround, the NHL has scheduled a two-day break between the first two games of the East Final, with Game 2 in Toronto slated to go next Thursday. All seven potential games in this series would have a start of 8 p.m. EDT.
Here is a complete breakdown of the hypothetical schedule:
- Game 1: Carolina at Toronto, Tuesday, May 20, 8 p.m. EDT
- Game 2: Carolina at Toronto, Thursday, May 22, 8 p.m. EDT
- Game 3: Toronto at Carolina, Saturday, May 24, 8 p.m. EDT
- Game 4: Toronto at Carolina, Monday, May 26, 8 p.m. EDT
- Game 5: Carolina at Toronto, Wednesday, May 28, 8 p.m. EDT
- Game 6: Toronto at Carolina, Friday, May 30, 8 p.m. EDT
- Game 7: Carolina at Toronto, Sunday, June 1, 8 p.m. EDT
This would be the first playoff series between the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes since 2002, when the two teams also met in the Eastern Conference Final. In that edition, the Hurricanes eliminated Toronto in a hard-fought six-game series that had three of those games decided in overtime. Carolina went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings in five games.
Toronto should not look too far ahead, as there is a good chance this schedule never comes to be. The Maple Leafs have a horrid record in Game 7s of late and will have to find a way to take out the defending Stanley Cup champions if they want a crack at the Hurricanes.
If they pull it off, it will be the closest that the Leafs have gotten to Lord Stanley in over 20 years.