"I feel like a kid every day," said Tavares, a 34-year-old forward.
Teammate Max Domi said, "Johnny is on another planet. Every puck he touches goes in."
Though goaltending appeared to be a potential weakness in training camp, the combination of two former backups, Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz, has emerged as a dependable last line of defense.
Stolarz, who signed a two-year contract July 1, played 27 games for the champion Florida Panthers last season and had an NHL-best .925 save percentage among goalies who played at least 25 games. He's played 34 games (33 starts) this season and Woll 41 (40 starts), each an NHL career high.
"Both have played really well for us," Berube said. "They have been solid but, like every other goalie, they'll have off nights."
The 1948-49 Maple Leafs had plenty in their drive for an unprecedented third consecutive title. They lost three key players: Captain Syl Apps and center Nick Metz retired, and defenseman Wally Stanowski was traded to the New York Rangers. All three had been on multiple Cup-winning teams.
"I couldn't find anyone who looks like he can replace any of them," owner Conn Smythe said.
The Maple Leafs lost the last three games of the regular season, allowing 15 goals and barely edging the Chicago Black Hawks for the final playoff berth. Their under-.500 record (22-25-13) marked them as underdogs in the semifinal round against Boston.
"We should win it," Bruins captain Milt Schmidt said. "We have the better club."
Toronto easily moved into the Final after defeating Boston in five games.
"All our lines are coming through for us at the right times," coach Hap Day said. "They've regained the win complex,"
The Maple Leafs faced the first-place Detroit Red Wings, paced by the "Production Line" of Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Sid Abel, in the Stanley Cup Final. Detroit finished with 12 more wins and 18 more points.
"I want to see whether we're playing for the Lady Byng Trophy or the Stanley Cup," Smythe said.
Joe Klukay, Toronto's third-string left wing, scored in overtime for a 3-2 victory in Game 1 at Detroit's Olympia on April 8, 1949. The Maple Leafs followed up with a 3-1 win. For Game 3 at Maple Leaf Gardens, the Red Wings employed the Production Line "for more than 40 minutes," according to historian Kevin Shea. Toronto won 3-1 and was one win from a second straight four-game sweep of the Final.
Nervous to a fault, Smythe cornered center Max Bentley before Game 4 on April 16, 1949.
"End it soon, kid," Smythe pleaded. "I can't stand much more of this."
Although the Red Wings opened the scoring in the first period, the Maple Leafs won 3-1 to become the first three-peat team in NHL modern history -- an original dynasty. In the winners' dressing room, Day dipped his finger into the champagne-filled Stanley Cup and shouted, "You're seeing a Happy Day at night!"
Upon hearing that, trainer Tim Daly fired back, "I don't know why you guys are so excited at winning the Stanley Cup. We do it every year!"
The current Maple Leafs are crusading for a 2025 version of that historic scene 76 years ago today.
"If the Maple Leafs' best players are their best players," wrote "Something Unpredictable" author Rob Del Mundo, "a long Stanley Cup run is possible."
