Skip to content
Your daily dose of hockey
News

Series: the Maple Leafs we know are back
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Series: the Maple Leafs we know are back
Credit: Getty Images
The Maple Leafs will never change .

They may talk about a new coach or a new mentality, but the first round will always be tough for the Maple Leafs. And in 2025, the proof is still in the pudding: winning the last game of a series is very difficult.

Even if some thought Toronto had exorcised their demons in 2023, against the Lightning, it’s clear that it’s not that simple… and that the 2023 series was more the exception that proves the rule.

Yesterday, the Senators (easily) won 4-0. And the series, which was 3-0 for the Maple Leafs, is now 3-2.

Is it impossible to see Toronto stop the slide? Not impossible, no. The guys are capable of winning a field hockey game, and they still have two chances to do so.

But right now, it’s clear that the guys are getting played in the head – just like the Kings against Edmonton, by the way.

After all, even if you don’t want to get sidetracked by the past, the club is still 1-13 in games where they can advance to the next round with a win in the Auston Matthews era since 2016.

Is this whyAuston Matthews is being criticized in the Queen City?

Let’s also note that during these games (so since 2018), the Maple Leafs’ power play is 0-in-30. That’s one of the things working against the Leafs right now.

Craig Berube may tell his players to stay the course and Chris Tanev may say it’s 3-2 and they’ll be fine, but…

Martin St-Louis has been talking a lot about momentum over the past few days in his Montreal press conference. And if you transpose that to the Ontario series, it’s pretty clear who’s got it and who’s looking for it.


in a row

– With good reason.

– Well done.

– Coming up…

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!
More Content