Leafs Blow Series Lead, Fall To Defending-Champ Lightning in Game 7 Showdown

The Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the postseason at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in a series they led 3-2.

To be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan is to know deep and lasting pain and heartache – the kind of pain and heartache that rumbles around and sticks in your soul long after any on-ice letdown has ended. This season was intended to be the year the young Leafs core won at least one playoff series. And with two games left in their first-round showdown against Tampa Bay and a series lead of 3-2., Toronto looked as if it were finally going to get over the competitive hump and win a series for the first time since the 2003-04 playoffs.

Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, playing the visiting Lightning, the Leafs came up short again in a 2-1 Game 7 win by Tampa. You have to give the Bolts credit for having the mental and physical wherewithal to pull out two straight wins – when neither team had two or more wins in a row in the series – but this is also about star Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy who turned aside all but one of Toronto’s 31 shots, and who frustrated Leafs forwards all night long.

This was the Vasilevskiy we were accustomed to during Tampa’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. He was calm and collected, positionally-sound, and unaffected by the lively Toronto crowd. For much of the first six games of the series, Vasilevskiy looked off a bit; his confidence in himself more tentative. But after he helped the Bolts win in OT in Game 6, his self-belief was back, and that turned out to be big trouble for the Leafs.

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This lost stings as much as any to Leafs fans. They were never going to be happy with a dominant regular season – even one that set new team records for standings points – and their worst fears came true in this series. They once again pulled out to within one win of finishing off their opponent, but couldn’t do it despite multiple attempts. After Game 5 of this series, Toronto squandered two opportunities to close out the Lightning. They couldn’t do that, and they’re going to have to wear that around Toronto for another long year.

What does that mean for the Leafs next season? The status quo will not go over well with Toronto fans, but an honest appraisal means recognizing the Buds’ core of four forwards, and much of their defense corps, is not going to be moved. Star forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares aren’t going anywhere. Winger William Nylander will be the target of some fans’ anger, but he’s given great value to the team this season. And blueliners Morgan
Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and T.J. Brodie will remain fixtures on the back end.

There may be some tinkering, but nothing earth-shattering for Toronto. Jason Spezza will likely retire. A youngster such as Nick Robertson or Nick Abruzzese will be given a prolonged look at the NHL level. Backup goalie Petr Mrazek may be bought out after being a gigantic bust in his first season with the Leafs. Management still believes in the key components of the group.

Will the Buds be a playoff team next season? Absolutely. Will they likely play a team like Tampa or the Florida Panthers? Absolutely. Will Leafs fans be even more jaded and cynical that Toronto will finally shake off these playoff disasters and finally break through to the second round and beyond? Absolutely.

Once again, the Maple Leafs have broken the hearts of their scores of fans. They’ll say all the right things in the coming days, but the stark reality is they’re neither mentally or physically on the same level as the Lightning. And they’ll have a very long, painful summer to sit and stew about it.