Maple Leafs Game 1 Playoff Start Date Leaks Ahead of Official Announcement

There is a lot of concern about when the Maple Leafs are going to start the playoffs, given that they are going to have only minimal time after the regular season to get prepared before they step onto the ice for Game One.

But with some new information that's been recently revealed, that first round matchup is going to be slated to start a day after previously reported, which would give the Maple Leafs another 24 hours to prepare.

According to Graeme Nichols on Blue Sky, the NHL has informed teams that the Western Conference is set to start on April 19th, while the Eastern is reportedly set to start their games on the 20th.

While nothing is set in stone, this is a pretty good idea of how the NHL wants to set out its playoff series' schedule, and give teams enough time to properly get adjusted for postseason play.

But if the NHL does indeed give Toronto until the 20th of April to get things started, that certainly should be enough time to get Craig Berube and his band of misfits ready for a tough road that lies ahead of them.

One of the biggest questions coming out of the end of the season is who the Maple Leafs are actually going to play, and if it ends up being the Panthers; that extra day may be crucial for healing up any last minute ailments and be in full force come Game One.

If the Maple Leafs beat the Lightning in regulation on Wednesday, it pretty much guarantees them first place, and it will come down to Ottawa and Florida to duke it out; Ottawa needs to go 4-0 if Florida ends up winning their next game; but if they lose it becomes an even more cutthroat race.

It's certainly the makings for some entertaining hockey down the stretch of the season, and not knowing until potentially the last game of the season is what makes the NHL such a fun league (at times).