Pens fall in Toronto, 5-3, as Leafs clinch playoff spot

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo, right, makes a save on Toronto Maple Leafs' James van Riemsdyk, center, as Columbus Blue Jackets' Scott Harrington defends during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto, on Sunday, April 9, 2017.

Then at 14:11, Point unleashed a heavy wrist shot from the slot that beat Andersen top-shelf for his second goal of the game and 16th of the season late in the third period.

- The NHL is expected to announce the first-round schedule once all games are completed Sunday night. His eight game-winning goals tied Howie Meeker for another Maple Leafs rookie record set in 1946-47.

Only one playoff spot remains undecided in the National Hockey League.

After Toronto's 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday, the pool of teams the Capitals could play in the first round went from four to two. "What I have learned over time and I have been in the playoffs many times is you just be careful what you wish for".

Nine Leafs who've yet to play a single National Hockey League playoff game are likely to suit up for Game 1, including the high-performing rookie trio of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Another handful, including Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak have just a single playoff series under their belts, that one coming during the Leafs last playoff appearance in 2013. Before Matt Murray began his meteoric rise to the Stanley Cup, it was Jarry who was to be the heir apparent to Marc-Andre Fleury at goalie.

"Obviously, they needed the game a lot more than we did", Kessel said. It has already been determined the Penguins and Blue Jackets will play each other in the first round. They are just too solid from front to back.

Curtis McElhinney made 29 saves, but Toronto let a 2-0 lead melt away in a porous second period. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 30 shots for the Jackets, who are set for a first-round matchup against Pittsburgh. It also would have given us the Boston Bruins as the last wild card, which meant a first-round series against the Washington Capitals, which meant the incredible 13-years-in-the-making showdown between Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy and his former team. Fun! Toronto is banged up and players like Frederik Andersen, Polak and Zaitsev need time to heal. Auston Matthews is tied for third in the league's goal scoring race with 39 on the season-impressive. Their chances got better as Toronto failed to gain points leading up to Saturday, but the Maple Leafs were ultimately writing their own story.

Mike Babcock promised "pain" when he was hired as the Leafs head coach in May 2015, but that pain was really short-lived.

Their reward: A first-round meeting with the NHL's best team, the Washington Capitals. That's when it's a totally different program. We're not that far behind however as we sit fifth with a power play percentage of 22.9%. "I've felt pretty good here and we've got a good chunk of days off here lately so that's definitely a good thing heading down the stretch here".

Babcock said after the club's optional skate on Sunday that Andersen has displayed no concussion symptoms and will be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs next week in either Washington or Ottawa.

The Leafs had an extra bounce to their step early against Columbus, fresh off the clinching victory over Pittsburgh.