Here we are again. The Toronto Maple Leafs have choked again. They once again have shown they are not for real, and this year wasn’t different. In the words of Aerosmith, it’s the “Same Old Song and Dance” for this team. Last Eastern Conference Final appearance, 2004. The last Stanley Cup Final appearance, 1967.
The Toronto Maple Leafs showed promise in their latest collapse. They inexplicably lost Game 3 and 4 at home and went down 3-1 in the series. Then they had a strong performance in the road winning Game 5 in Boston winning 2-1 in Overtime.
A 2-1 win in Game 6 at home tied the series 3-3 and forced a Game 7 back in Boston. The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans were feeling good going into this game. Then disaster struck you could say. What went wrong this time?
Toronto Maple Leafs: Joseph Woll Injury
News started filtering out about 90 minutes before puck drop that Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltender Joseph Woll may not play in Game 7. It wasn’t immediately known what was wrong with Woll, but not having him dressed for this crucial game was key in the team’s demise again. Ilya Samsonov got the start after he had been pulled in Game 4 for a poor performance at home.
Woll gave the team confidence, something Samsonov didn’t do earlier in this series. Samsonov made some good stops for the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially in the first period of Game 7. But on the winning goal for the Boston Bruins from David Pastrnak, there has to be some blame on Samsonov.
The puck bounces off the boards to the side of the net and ends up laying in front for Pastrnak to pick up and go on a breakaway. Samsonov should have been playing a little higher on that play in case of a dump-in like this one. Instead, he was playing in close to the net, and he didn’t have enough to come out to clear the puck away before Pastrnak arrived.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews Gone
Auston Matthews was nowhere to be seen in Game 7. Yes, he was out with an injury in Game 5 and 6, but why did he play in Game 7 then if he wasn’t healthy? The Toronto Maple Leafs looked better without him in the lineup in Games 5 and 6. They won both games! Matthews suited up for Game 7, and he did more harm than good.
1 goal in 5 games for Matthews in this series. No wonder why the Toronto Maple Leafs lost. Matthews scored 69 goals in 81 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the regular season. He is one of the best players in the NHL. He completely dropped the ball in this series and didn’t show up in the biggest moments.
When he is on the ice it seems the entire team is trying to get Matthews going, and in the process, it affects others. His playoff collapses continue to mount for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and fans have had enough! There will be major changes to this team in the off-season, and the only question is who will be back because not everyone will be. That’s for sure.
About the Author
Mike Nelson lives and breathes sports. Ever since he was very young he has also dreamed of covering sports. Mike graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. He has been very lucky to cover sports and be on the radio for the last few years with different organizations including a stint with the LA Galaxy where he was one of the announcers for the LA Galaxy 2 team for two seasons.
Mike loves music, he hosts his radio show/podcast “The Mike Nelson Show” where he has gotten to interview the biggest names in rock and metal including Les Claypool, David Ellefson, and others.
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