Why Not Us?
Most Maple Leaf fans are probably thinking, “It should have been over by now.” However, the Toronto Maple Leafs shocking comeback after going down 3-1 in their first-round-series against their hated rivals, the Boston Bruins, has given Maple Leaf fans a glimmer of hope. It’s a rivalry historically one-sided in the favor of Boston and hysteria could be the only word profound enough to describe it.
With the Maple Leafs having lost their last 6 series against the Bruins, it was all but accepted that when down in the series, it was all over for the buds. This was made worse by the fact that the team itself seemed in disarray in Game 4. Sloppy plays left-and-right and a 3-way argument between Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander so immature, you would never believe that the trio was a franchise core in it’s 8th season together.
With Matthews out for Game 5, it seemed like it would be yet another death march at TD Garden. For some, though, there was still the “BeLeaf” that somehow, some way, they could find their way back into this series, and by golly they did it! Back-to-back wins, even with Matthews out of the lineup, has skyrocketed them back into the series.
Trio of Players Serve as Toronto’s Saviours
There are 3 specific players worthy of being highlighted, with the first being William Nylander, who after 13 games of not scoring a single goal, scored 2 in Game 5. Nylander scored the only goals scored for the Leafs that in the fifth contest, and the only Maple Leaf who was able to get passed the potent Jeremy Swayman at goaltender for Boston. The second player is Matthew Knies, who has substantially stepped up his play, scoring the OT winner in Game 4. The second-year LW has been making significant contributions to Toronto’s playoff success, such as the gritty assist to get Nylander the breakaway score that would seal it for the Maple Leafs in Game 5. But probably the most significant factor of them all, is the net-minding skills of Joseph Woll.
After G Ilya Samsonov‘s inconsistent playoff performances put Toronto’s back against the “Woll“, they called up the third-year goalie to be the Game 5 starter. In the two games he’s started, he’s allowed only 2 goals in 7 periods, including overtime in Game 5. One such goal came with 0.1 seconds left in Game 6, so given the irrelevancy of the score, the 2 goals could be boiled down to 1 relevant one allowed. His acrobatics have come at the perfect time, as he shuts down Boston’s offensive attack time and time again. Woll has certainly been clutch in a way that the Maple Leafs desperately needed out of a goaltender, a position that has seen inconsistent play throughout the 2023-2024 campaign. .
Can Boston Resist the Mental Burden?
Just like that, Boston has a newfound pressure put around them. Remember last season, where they too had a 3-1 series lead at one point against the thought-to-be lowly Florida Panthers? It was Game 7 at TD Garden where they’d see their season come to an end. If they would pull off the insurmountable feat of doing it again this season, Boston would be the first team in the history of the NHL, NBA, or MLB to blunder a 3-1 series lead in consecutive seasons.
Because of the lingering thought of such an overwhelming embarrassment, the Bruins go into a Game 7 with the Maple Leafs with something that could be the difference between a victory or a defeat: a mental burden. If Toronto can expose that, it could prevail them to victory and another second-round appearance.
At the end of the day, this is still the Toronto Maple Leafs who have the longest active Stanley Cup Championship drought in the NHL. It’s Game 7 at TD Garden, and for once, they aren’t the team that has all the pressure and expectations to win and avoid embarrassment.
An Exhilarating and Memorable Matchup
All of these circumstances are setting the dominos for a Game 7 for the ages. The entire hockey world will be on the edge of its seat, let alone both fanbases. It will be the ultimate mental challenge for who can slay the demons, and who will let the demons control them. If you’re on the Boston side, all you could really tell yourself is either, “Oh, not again!”, or “It’s still the Maple Leafs, don’t worry.” If you’re on Toronto’s side, however, you might have a different query before such a pivotal game. After years upon years of being tormented by the Boston menace, Maple Leafs fans may just be asking themselves, “Why not this team? Why not us?”