The Toronto Maple Leafs have heated up at the right time, playing some of their most excellent hockey of the season down the final stretch into the playoffs. They’re 13-2-1 in their last 16 games, and they’re on a five-game winning streak heading into the postseason. They finished the job on Tuesday night with a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres, clinching the Atlantic Division and giving them a first-round tilt with the Ottawa Senators, and made the most out of an otherwise meaningless final game of the season, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime.

Despite concerns about their production at 5-on-5 and a tendency to fall behind on the shot clock, Craig Berube’s Maple Leafs are Atlantic Division winners for the first time in the Auston Matthews era. Speaking to reporters following the game Berube commended his team for their efforts in the final weeks of the season.

“You want to be playing good hockey down the stretch, for sure,” Berube said. “I think guys were really focused, and, you know, wanted to get that division title. It’s an important thing.”

Their last loss came against the Florida Panthers a little over a week ago, on April 8. It had fans worrying about the team’s ability to defeat a team like Florida in the playoffs. Then, they responded by rattling off five wins in a row.

Berube said that his team’s commitment to team play and defence is what helped them finish the season strong.

“I thought that we played really well as a team this last little stretch. Doing the right things without the puck, everybody bought in and dialled in.”

Despite the good vibes heading into the postseason, Berube and everybody else know that even if the Leafs have a more favourable matchup, in theory, against the Senators, that’s no reason for them to take the series lightly in any way. And they should know that by now, given how many times they’ve gone into the postseason and floundered. The Leafs’ bench boss made sure to clarify that, while they’ll take the time and effort to prepare for a young and hungry Senators team, the focus will be on themselves and what they need to do to win games every night.

“We’ll get together tomorrow as a team, spend some time on Ottawa, there will be an optional skate,” Berube said, detailing the team’s plans in preparation for Game 1 on Sunday night. Saturday we’ll spend some time on Ottawa, little more in depth on things in practice, but it’s about us. Ottawa is a really good team and it should be a battle, they do what they do, but it really boils down to our team, and the commitment, and the battle.”

The Maple Leafs have everything going for them this year. They’ve got a strong defensive unit, star talent at the top, and elite goaltending in net. There is a lot on the line, more so than ever, but the team appears to be ready for the grind that will come with a playoff series, regardless of the opponent.