Hello, darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again…
On Tuesday night, Toronto Maple Leafs fans saw a lot of skeletons come falling out of the closet as the team suffered a 4-0 defeat in Game 5 of the NHL Playoffs to the Ottawa Senators at the Scotiabank Arena.
There was a huge feel-good factor in the Leafs’ fanbase after Simon Benoit’s overtime winner in Game 3, as they took a commanding 3-0 series lead.
And, the 6-2 win in Game 1 looked like the Leafs team we’d been seeing all season under Craig Berube — tough, fast and ruthless.
But last night showed that this Leafs team still has a serious mental block when it comes to closing out a series.
Saturday night’s Game 4 defeat could have been excused. Leafs fans were ready to get the brooms out and dust it off, but their provincial rivals were never going to allow a sweep in the Battle of Ontario. And with three overtime games in a row, you’re bound to lose one of them on the law of averages.
However, last night was inexcusable. The Leafs didn’t show up at home at the Scotiabank Arena in a series close-out. They sucked the life out of their own home crowd, and the Sens came in with more hunger and ate their lunch.
Now, we are staring at a pressure-cooker Game 6 on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
If the Leafs lose that, the thought of a potential Game 7 on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Arena is nightmare fuel for tortured Leafs fans.
While it can be hard to narrow down a list, here’s what went wrong in Game 5:
Not grabbing the big moments
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ wastefulness was extremely evident to see in Game 5.
Ottawa Senators’ goalie Linus Ullmark faced 29 shots, with not one hitting the net. While the Swede is a top goalkeeper, the Leafs didn’t do enough to move him around and create openings.
But there is still a lack of ruthlessness in big moments, which was evident on Steven Lorentz’s 2v0. The centre hesitated for a split-second, and the chance was lost. Although, Lorentz was one of the few players who could have held his head high yesterday.
Lack of effort
Right from puck-drop, there was a noticeable lack of effort in the Leafs squad.
For a team that prides themselves, under Craig Berube, for ripping up the script and changing the narrative about being soft, there was such a lack of fight last night.
It was evident that the Sens were just up for it more.
That lack of effort was encapsulated in Dylan Cozens’ goal to put the visitors 2-0 up. William Nylander completely gave up the ghost on the chase back.
Scar tissue is showing
It’s very comparable to Rory McIlroy’s recent Masters’ win. When your heart has been broken so many times, you fall just short, collapse or just can’t get over the hump, that mental scar tissue builds up.
We all thought the Leafs got the monkey off their back in the 2023 playoffs when they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 to win the series. However, there still seems to be major emotional damage there.
Last year’s Game 7 defeat to the Boston Bruins was unbelievably heartbreaking, so maybe there is still some post-traumatic stress?
According to Sportsnet Stats, the Leafs have an 1-12 record in close-out games since 2018 in the playoffs.
Rory vanquished his demons this spring, can the Leafs?
The power play has gone up in smoke
The Leafs appeared have fixed their power play at the start of this series.
Per Sportsnet Stats, their three power goals in Game 1 was the first time they’ve scored that many in a playoff series since 1999.
However, over the past two games, the power play has sunken to 2024 levels.
Especially at this stage in the season, power plays are so important as it separates the good teams, from the bad.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will travel to the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa for Game 6 on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
We’ll be hoping and praying that the Leafs come out flying and progress to the next round. Forget about the past, it’s all about the present.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
