Previous incarnations of these Toronto Maple Leafs have all been guilty of letting their opponent off the mat in the post-season.
Let’s review the pain.
In that house-money series versus the mighty Washington Capitals in 2017, rookies Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner surprised with a 2-1 series lead… and no one blamed anyone when the favourites stormed back to swipe the set in six. Just making the dance was gravy.
Disappointment hit different in 2018’s Game 7 at TD Garden. The young, skilled core helped build leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3 over the Boston Bruins under do-or-die stakes… only to fumble away a 7-4 loss.
In 2019 against that same black-and-gold nemesis, the Leafs held three one-game leads in Round 1… and let them each one slip through their fingers, bowing out in seven games once more.
In 2020 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto seized a commanding 3-0 lead in the pivotal third game of a tied five-game set… only to cough away a 4-3 overtime loss and hand all control to the underdogs.
This torturous pattern agonized, if not enraged, the Leafs’ fanbase. Booted from the bubble the last time the sun was this bright, Matthews dubbed it “killer instinct.” As in, the Maple Leafs needed to band together and develop one.
So, while it certainly appeared that a more unrattled, a more bloodthirsty Maple Leafs mindset had emerged through the 2021 regular season — what with their claiming of Canada’s top seed — all juries remain out until playoff cases are heard.
“We’ve been able to put together long stretches of winning games, but this is a different time of year, of course, and a different challenge,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday, prior to puck drop on Game 4 at Bell Centre. “It remains to be seen what we can do in this situation.”
Up 2-1 in the series, the Maple Leafs did something on this night we haven’t seen since two lockouts ago: They took an undisputed stranglehold on a playoff series, removing all but a sliver of doubt that Canada’s crown should come down to them or the Winnipeg Jets.
Roundly defeating the offensively starved Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in their own barn for back-to-back road wins and a 3-1 series lead, the Maple Leafs charted home with a chance to clinch their first series win in 21 years Thursday.
Game 4 was written with poetry.
Game 1 scratch Alex Galchenyuk, once a prized Montreal draft pick, created two beautiful passes to set up Toronto’s opening strikes, then pounded an exclamation-point empty-netter.
William Nylander — often criticized for wielding the soft skill that doesn’t bloom come springtime — scored his fourth playoff goal in as many games and set a new career high with five points.
Jason Spezza was denied by Carey Price’s desperate paddle in Game 3 and stoned five-hole early, but broke through with a net-driving tap-in.
Alexander Kerfoot — Toronto’s emergency second-line centreman with the injured John Tavares and Nick Foligno both sidelined — elevated to the challenge with a three-point showing.
And Joe Thornton — the oldest NHLer standing now that Zdeno Chara’s Capitals have been through the handshake line — scored in his 18th trip to the second season.
Toronto’s special teams, a sore spot through the regular season, have been spun to advantages. New No. 1 goalie Jack Campbell is holding the fort. And the Canadiens’ belief is on the brink.
Lose a captain?
Juggle the lineup?
Fall down 0-1 in the series and 0-1 in Game 2?
Get repeatedly posterized on odd-man chances by Price?
A lesser version of the Toronto Maple Leafs might’ve buckled under such circumstances.
This one feels different.
This one is now demoralizing a struggling power play and committing to selfless defence. This one is laughing off scrums and peppering a dialed-in Hall of Fame goalie until they get the best of him.
“The stakes are so high, you can just see how much the players care, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes,” Keefe said.
“Probably one of the most exciting parts of these playoffs is to see players find that within themselves to do those things.”
