Postgame: x-

For the first time in four years, and for the first time in 13 years in an 82 game season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to the playoffs. In the first full season for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, a team few expected to be good are headed to the Stanley Cup playoffs. How beautiful does that sound?

With a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the kids and a few veterans managed to not mess it up and found their way into the postseason with a 5-3 victory tonight.

It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t ugly, and Frederik Andersen very well may be injured, but by jove, they made the playoffs and that’s pretty cool.

Toronto sports going WAY up.

Phil Kessel almost contributed to the world’s darkest timeline when he got the scoring started in this one.  There was an uneasy feeling throughout the entire arena that this team would find a way to muck things up and how fitting would it be if the team’s former hero turned into the force that pushes them out of the playoffs?

It was among the last shots that Frederik Andersen would face, as he left the game after being rammed into by Tom Sestito. No word yet on the extent of his injury, but Curtis McElhinney came into play the remainder of the game.

James Van Riemsdyk would get things going for the Buds with this beautiful effort:

And in fitting fashion, the third member of the Leafs’ former first line scored this goal to put the Leafs up 2-1.

The lead was short lived, however. Sidney Crosby was able to strike on the power play, while an ugly deflection off Jake Gardiner’s skate popped through McElhinney’s legs and gave the Penguins a surprising 3-2 lead.

It was turning into one of “those games”. Typical Leafs. They’re going to blow it, aren’t they?

Just kidding.

With just over 5 minutes left in the third period, Kasperi Kapanen earned his first career point to tie the game on a nice little tap-in.

Then with just under 3 minutes to go, Connor Brown pushed the Leafs over the edge with this pretty deflection:

Auston Matthews added an empty-netter for his 40th of the season, fittingly with 3.4 seconds left in the game.

Curtains.

Say it loud, say it proud: The Toronto Maple Leafs will be heading to the playoffs.

Though he tailed off a little, James van Riemsdyk was an absolute monster in the game’s opening period and takes home the award tonight. Stick tap to McElhinney for a flurry of great saves.

The Leafs can finish third in the division with a victory tomorrow over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This, forever: