'That's what we need': Leafs ready for 1st-round challenge vs. Lightning

For a team that hasn't made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2004, an opening meeting against the back-to-back defending champions might not sound ideal.

But for Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, a postseason clash against the Tampa Bay Lightning is exactly what he thinks his squad requires.

"A massive challenge. But the harder the better. That's what we need," Keefe said after Toronto beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 to officially seal the deal Friday night, according to the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby.

The Lightning haven't lost a playoff series since they were unceremoniously swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are coming off five straight postseason defeats, each one seemingly more crushing than the last. Last season, Toronto blew a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens in a show-stopping upset.

Longtime Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly is excited to see what he and the team can glean from the perennially winning Bolts.

"The first thing that jumps out is their back-to-back Stanley Cups," the defenseman said. "They know how to win in playoffs, we're trying to figure that out."

The Maple Leafs went toe-to-toe with their Atlantic Division rivals four times this season, and the Bolts held a bit of a scoring edge.

Toronto's first-round schedule is yet to be determined. It finished second in the Atlantic with a record of 54-21-7, while the Lightning finished third.