“If you want to dip your toe into the water, you are going to find out it’s boiling,” Babcock said. It looked good for the Leafs through the middle of the game, as a pair of goals by James van Riemsdyk staked Toronto to a 2-0 lead. Babcock said goaltender Frederik Andersen was not experiencing concussion symptoms and will start in Game 1 on Thursday in Washington. And defenceman Nikita Zaitsev, who suffered an upper-body injury against Columbus, is expected to be in the Toronto lineup for the opener. “The playoffs are not going to be easy no matter how you skin the cat,” Leafs defenceman and former Capital Connor Carrick said.

Source: National Post April 10, 2017 03:00 UTC