NHL History: Felix Potvin posts shutout in 1994 playoffs as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Chicago Blackhawks

After a strong regular season led by Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk and Wendel Clark that saw the 1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs post a 43-29-12 record, they squared up with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Having taken out the visiting club in games one and two at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto hit the road for games three and four — games the Leafs fell in 5-4 and 4-3 (OT).

In game five, a match that took place today in 1994, Felix Potvin shut the door and Mike Eastwood lit the lamp en route to a crucial 1-0 victory. Eastwood’s goal came at the 10:07 mark of the third on the powerplay as Blackhawk Gary Suter sat two minutes for hooking.

Potvin, meanwhile, stopped all 17 shots he faced at Toronto put a series stranglehold on Chicago. Two nights later it was deja vu for the Leafs, who held onto a 1-0 lead all night to once again shutout the Blackhawks as they eliminated Chicago from the playoffs.

Toronto went on to face off against the San Jose Sharks who the Leafs routed in seven games. But in the third round, Toronto was no match for the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the Leafs winning game on 3-2 in OT, Vancouver went on to win the next four straight eliminating Toronto.

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