This year’s Stanley Cups saw a dismal collapse of the Toronto Maple Leafs once more in the playoffs. They were leading the series 3-1 before the Montreal Canadiens staged a dramatic comeback, winning the remaining 4 consecutive games of the series.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Just Needed Once More
In Monday’s seventh game of the series, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 1-3 to the Canadiens. It was the semi-final series of the North Division of this season’s NHL. The match took place at the Maple Leafs’ home ice. It was also the first time the two rivals were meeting in the playoffs in over four decades.
Sheldon Keefe, the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, said that he was finding it difficult to express his sadness. The team was left disappointed and devastated. The team felt that much more could have been done. They did not meet their potential through the entire series and not just Game 7.
The statistics are disheartening. The Toronto Maple Leafs have failed to win in a series in the playoffs after 2004. Moreover, they have lost eight times consecutively in matches that would have clinched the series. The Toronto Maple Leafs have also lost 4 times consecutively in the final deciding matches of a series: 1 Game 5 and 3 Game 7s.
However, the most disappointing fact is that Toronto has not been the champions of the Stanley Cup since 1967. This season, fans were hoping things would be different. The squad was considered to have a good shot at the Cup. They ended the regular season as the North’s top with 77 points. Montreal had 18 less. However, the underdogs pulled off the amazing comeback victory.
Game 7 was a nervous and tentative affair for the Leafs. Montreal had found net two times consecutively in 2 overtimes resulting from a loss in possession by Toronto.