This is a dream scenario for the NHL, particularly in a season where no fans were allowed inside an arena in Canada.
But none of that matters to the Leafs, whose focus is on the task at hand. The team has been eliminated in the first round/play-in round in four straight years. They’ve responded this season by winning the division, but at some point, they need to have some real playoff success, and the urgency has been dialed up a few notches considering the circumstances — including competing in the easiest division they’ve been a part of in well over a decade.