The Maple Leafs and the playoffs? Nothing is ever easy

It’s speculated to be arduous. One of many causes we typically confuse hockey with advantage is that it’s a piece sport, a guts sport, a sport that requires aggressive metal. Thursday the Toronto Maple Leafs had an opportunity to lastly win a playoff collection, to lastly shut somebody out. The Tampa Bay Lightning have gained three Cups and misplaced two extra as a franchise because the Leafs gained a collection, practically 20 years in the past. Diminished or not, Tampa nonetheless has championship DNA.

And for the Leafs, the ghosts stay. They have been outplayed, out-strategized, out-executed, and misplaced Recreation 5 by a rating of 4-2. We now head again to Tampa; no matter ghosts Toronto has can be trailing alongside.

“I believe we’re simply assured with our group,” mentioned Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly, who scored his third purpose of the collection to open the scoring within the first interval. “I imply, we’re right here for a motive, we’ve performed good hockey, we’ve beat them within the collection earlier than, so we consider we will do it once more. And I imply, there’s little doubt.”

Perhaps there isn’t, however there ought to be. Beating the Lightning 4 straight occasions was a hell of a problem; they could be thinner, they could be drained, however that is nonetheless a terrifically powerful workforce. As Tampa coach Jon Cooper mentioned of how hockey works: “The enemy’s bought a vote.”

And the Leafs have been dominated territorially and couldn’t find the counterpunch they present in Video games 3 and 4 in Tampa. Rielly talked about how Tampa is smothering their breakout, and consuming them within the impartial zone. “They’ve been in a position to get on high of us fairly persistently,” head coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned. The Leafs nonetheless lead the collection three video games to 2, and have at the very least two possibilities to win it.

However Tampa has been the higher workforce in at the very least three of the 5 video games, and doubtless half of a fourth. You possibly can see a possible collapse from right here with out an excessive amount of creativeness. You marvel if the Leafs can, too.

“I don’t suppose it has something to do with the second, or something like that,” mentioned Keefe. “They’re a great hockey workforce. I don’t suppose it’s an absence of potential from our gamers.”

“We don’t give up in right here,” mentioned winger Mitch Marner.

The day earlier than this sport I requested Leafs centre Ryan O’Reilly what made the distinction with this workforce between the sequences the place the construction labored — when breakouts work they usually stream from their very own zone to Tampa’s, and tilt the sport in the best way normal supervisor Kyle Dubas has at all times envisioned — and once they don’t.

“Yeah, the phrase might be belief,” mentioned O’Reilly. “We’ve bought to belief ourselves extra. And we get in hassle after we sort of aren’t trusting it, and we’re a bit of hesitant with it, I believe. That belief is confidence, and after we are assured, we’re a harmful workforce. And it’s gonna assist us hold going. Maintain constructing from it.”

The struggle to belief most likely describes Leafs followers, too, and it’s been earned since Harold Ballard. The Brendan Shanahan Leafs have reached the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, the longest Leafs streak since 1981, again when 16 of 21 groups certified; earlier than that, it’s the longest streak since ’67, when 4 of six bought in.

And this Leafs period has been outlined by an unprecedented streak of heartbreaks. Recreation 7 in Boston, Recreation 7 in Boston, Recreation 5 towards Columbus, Recreation 7 towards Montreal — the truest collapse, the worst one — and final 12 months, Recreation 7 towards Tampa. A type of Bruins groups made the ultimate, as did Montreal, as did Tampa final 12 months.

No workforce has ever misplaced 5 consecutive closing video games of a playoff collection earlier than. No workforce had ever blown a three-goal lead in Recreation 7 till the Leafs did it in Boston in 2013, both. This makes 10 possibilities to finish a collection on this period, and 10 losses. Perhaps curses aren’t actual, however some issues make you marvel.

So it made good sense that earlier than this sport Cooper was casually speaking about how ghosts work. They will not be the identical groups as final 12 months, however they every have pasts.

“Completely different workforce, totally different circumstances, not the very same opponent we performed final 12 months,” mentioned Cooper. “I believe when (ghosts) comes into play is definitely within the second. So when you’re within the second, and also you’re down a purpose or up a purpose, do you begin pondering behind you head, right here we go once more? These sort of issues.” He mused how the house crowd can work towards you, and mentioned, “Now we have quite a bit to lean again on, I suppose in a historic perspective, but it surely’s a special 12 months.”

Not totally different sufficient, but. Simply 26 seconds after Rielly gave them the lead Leafs defenceman Justin Holl had made a drop-a-vat-of-chili mess on a Lightning zone entry, and was nonetheless making an attempt to get again into the play when Anthony Cirelli tied the sport. Holl bought turned on a Michael Eyssimont drive that ought to have been stopped by Ilya Samsonov within the second, too, and wasn’t. When Holl has been on the ice, Toronto has been outscored 14-2 within the collection. Nightmare. The fourth line, too, is getting completely dominated. Keefe has choices to make.

Toronto’s near-misses have been stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy, who appeared like a looming monster once more, and the Lightning bought an insurance coverage purpose. Auston Matthews bought one again with the web empty, however only one.

Now comes what ought to be a hell of a take a look at in Tampa. Are you able to think about this Leafs workforce coming house for a Recreation 7 towards this Tampa workforce for the second straight 12 months, after shedding a Recreation 6 in Tampa for a second straight 12 months, with a Recreation 5 loss at house thrown in to offer it echoes of Montreal in 2021? Are you able to think about this Lightning workforce, smelling that sort of blood?

“Let’s be sincere: this sport’s so rattling enjoyable,” mentioned Cooper, grinning. “You’ve bought two groups going at it. There’s so many storylines. There’s stars right here. Like, severely, wouldn’t you guys have been pissed off if this ended tonight? Let’s all be again right here for Recreation 7.”

The Lightning belief themselves, and the Leafs belief themselves typically, too. It’s speculated to be arduous, however typically in Toronto, it’s ridiculous. Recreation 6 looms.

SHARE: