Who will be the Maple Leafs’ biggest X-factors against Boston?

He scored six goals and had nine points through a nine-game span skating on that line, and with the Leafs having Mitch Marner on a separate line in the playoffs for the first time in the Keefe era, Bertuzzi will have more opportunities and likely won’t have to worry about having one specific shutdown line attacking them the way they would if Marner was on their line. He might not get consistent power play minutes with John Tavares scoring five goals in his final four games of the season and getting some confidence back, but if things dry up, he’ll almost certainly be one of the first ones called upon.

Another name that comes to mind here is Matthew Knies. It was important to keep expectations low when the 2021 second-round pick joined the Leafs’ for their final three regular season games, and then playoff run, but he fit right in and quickly became a piece that they couldn’t afford to lose. They did lose him in Game 2 against Florida, unfortunately for both he and the team, but up until then, he did a fine job proving he belonged.

Knies tallied four points in seven games as a 20-year-old, and if you go back and watch the highlights of the Leafs’ dramatic comebacks in Games 3 and 4 of the first round, Knies was on for most of the important goals.

He also kept the cycle going in the moments leading up to the Tavares Game 6 overtime winner heard around the world (or the GTA at least). He’s taken a step forward in his first full season, scoring 15 goals and tallying 35 points in 80 games and leading all forwards in hits with 169 in those games. He’s not afraid to get in the mix and plays a far more mature game than someone his age should be expected to.

Knies skated on the second line with Marner and Tavares at practice yesterday, but could play anywhere between the second and fourth line depending on how things go. He’s proven he can be effective at creating space for players like Matthews just as much as he can be in a third or fourth line checking role. He carries a unique amount of versatility for a 21-year-old, and a second round pick from three years ago, no less.

As long as the Leafs are playing playoff hockey, there won’t be a single discussion about X-factors that ceases to mention the goaltender, whoever that may be. In this case, it feels like it’s going to be Ilya Samsonov, but how much of a leash he’ll have is unknown. He’s shown an ability to steal a game and give his team reliable goaltending in spurts, but it’s hard to ignore his first half of the season as well as his 11 goals allowed in his final two games. What Samsonov does have going for him, on the other hand, is the sheer fact that he was in net for the Leafs as they snapped a 19-year first round curse.

Joseph Woll displays a sense of calmness, both mentally and physically, that serve goaltenders well in the postseason, and if Samsonov’s quick to fumble the bag early in the series, Woll will hear his name called sooner rather than later. That said, his high-ankle sprain came at a horrible time and knocked back his consistency a little bit. He hasn’t shown enough throughout the season to warrant starting Game 1, but as Keefe’s message has been to just about every player on the outside looking in, “be ready”.

If the Leafs can even get average goaltending, without any backbreakers late in games, I’ll feel a whole lot more confident about their chances at beating the Bruins. Going full Sergei Bobrovsky mode would be nice too, but it’s unfair to pin any expectation to that effect on a Leafs goaltender.

The Bruins have been exposed in recent years to be human. Once again, this will not make anything easier for the Leafs. They still have David Pastrnak, they still have Brad Marchand, and they’re a strong defensive team that remains just as well-coached under Jim Montgomery as they were under Bruce Cassidy and under Claude Julien. But the Leafs have a deep enough offence, a sturdy enough defence, and a goaltender with high potential that can match up with Boston. Whether or not they’ll be able to get all of them on the same page remains to be seen, but that’s what the excitement and adrenaline of playoff hockey is all about.