Maple Leafs ready for new playoff memories

James van Riemsdyk knows the playoffs are a different animal.

“You can feel it, the desperation every shift,” said the Maple Leafs forward, who has scored 11 goals in 39 playoff games in his NHL career.

Now he will have a chance to add to those totals as the Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

“We’re far from done. We want a long run in the playoffs,” said Ryan O’Byrne.

Carl Gunnarsson knows fans in Toronto are starving for post season hockey.

“Hopefully it’s going to be crazy and I think it will. I’m looking forward to that,” said Gunnarsson, who is in his 4^th season with the Leafs.

The Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, and with back to back games in Florida later in the week, the Leafs arrived in Tampa early Sunday morning.

They golfed and lounged around the pool for a couple of days of rest and relaxation, before getting back to the ice on Tuesday.

“It’s great timing,” said O’Byrne. He called the time in Florida “invaluable” as they approach the final three games on the regular season.

Usually when the Leafs golf in late April, it means they missed the playoffs. This time it was a reward for making the postseason.

The games against the Lightning on Wednesday and Panthers on Thursday are both extremely winnable. The game Saturday at home against Montreal could potentially be for home-ice advantage in the first round, possibly against Montreal.

“You can feel the buzz around the city,” said O’Byrne.

You can only imagine what it would be like if it is Montreal the Leafs face in the first round. That hasn’t happened since 1978-79.

The Leafs earned a spot in the playoffs thanks to solid goaltending, a much improved penalty kill, more depth at forwards and a belief in how they were playing.

“This year we all pulled in the same direction,” said Gunnarsson. “We thought we were going to be a playoff team.”

As they head into the final week of the season, the Maple Leafs lead the league in fights (44), hits (1,518), and blocked shots (233).

While James Reimer has a save percentage in the top 5 (.926) and a penalty killing unit that is operating at 87%, also top 5 in the NHL.

The last time Toronto hosted an NHL playoff game the Iphone was still a few years away. There was no twitter, facebook or instagram. That was May 4, 2004. Gas was on average 87 cents a litre.

The Leafs will look to create some new playoff memories starting in a week.

“I can’t wait to see the ACC (Air Canada Centre) for our first playoff game. It’s going to be nuts,” said O’Byrne.