Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 3 Battle of Ontario Playoff Games

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - MAY 14 : Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Maple Leafs and his teammate, right wing Tie Domi #28, celebrate during game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 14, 2002. The Maple Leafs won 3-0. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 14 : Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Maple Leafs and his teammate, right wing Tie Domi #28, celebrate during game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 14, 2002. The Maple Leafs won 3-0. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
15 Apr 2000: Steve Thomas #32 of the Toronto Mapleleafs scores on Tom Barasso #35 of the Ottawa Senators in the second period of their NHL first round game at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
15 Apr 2000: Steve Thomas #32 of the Toronto Mapleleafs scores on Tom Barasso #35 of the Ottawa Senators in the second period of their NHL first round game at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. /

#3. 2000 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals, Game 5 (Leafs Win 2-1 in Overtime)

This series is so nostalgic for me.

First, it’s the announcers. There was no better combination in hockey broadcasting than Bob Cole and Harry Neale, and listening to them make the call for the game-winner was beautiful.

Secondly, the jerseys.

The classic Leafs white jersey with the NHL All-Star game patch and two Leafs logos on the shoulders is magical.

Thirdly, Sergei Berezin!

The overtime goal was the result of everything great that Berezin represented. With open-ice, there was no better player on the Leafs than Berezin. He used his speed in the neutral zone and because he was so shifty, the defender made sure to cover him on a 2-on-1.

With that defender dragging towards him, Berezin found Steve Thomas for a one-timer, where he tapped in the overtime winner past Barrasso.

This game may not be on the top three for everyone but it is for me based on those things I just mentioned.

The Leafs were tied 2-2 in this series and had the advantage of playing Game 5 at home. Winning this game was crucial for their playoff chances because the last thing they wanted to do was go down 3-2 and play Game 6 on the road.

This was the first chapter of the dominance Toronto would have on Ottawa for the next five years.

Home/Editorials