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The Toronto Maple Leafs Won, But the Less Said, the Better

By James Tanner

MONTREAL, QC - MAY 25: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on prior to a face-off against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MAY 25: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on prior to a face-off against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Blackhawks in a weird, yet extremely entertaining game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff can’t have been happy with last night’s performance after building up a big lead, but it’s a long season and there really isn’t any point in reading too much into the last handful of games.

Any game – even one against the lowly Blackhawks – where you are missing Mitch Marner and Jack Campbell (dressed as backup) is going to be one where you’re extremely happy to take the two point, no matter what.

Did the Leafs deserver to win? Probably not.  But they did.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Blackhawks

Hockey is a weird sport because  teams with one goal leads after two periods win like 90% of the time ( or something similarly preposterous) and yet teams with early multi-goal leads tend to sit back so much that a 3-2 lead going in to the third is somehow easier to protect than a 4-1 lead after the first.  In this case, the Leafs were up 4-1 early in the second and then completely took their foot off the gas.

The Leafs got up early last night, then seemed to decide that was all they had to do. It’s typicality doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch, but due to a genius play by Morgan Rielly – who knew exactly where to place the puck for a special bounce, the Leafs won the game.

Just kidding, but I couldn’t resist.  Obviously the Leafs got lucky, but as a Leafs fan for over 30 years I have to say – it’s about time.

To be fair,  the Hawks scored some really cheesy goals and I just felt bad for Petr Mrazek who deserved a better line.   Three of the goals came from long ways out and just kind of bounced their ways off sticks and legs and past the goalie.

The Leafs didn’t exactly play good shut-down hockey, but the Hawks got really lucky in order to tie it.  Not as lucky as the Leafs got to avoid overtime, but that’s just the way she goes sometimes.

The Leafs power-play is on fire,  and it’s fun to think about where the Leafs would be if Auston Matthews was able to draw a penalty.  He hasn’t drawn a single penalty this year, which is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard.

He constantly has the puck and he constantly has guys draped all over him, slashing him, etc. The NHL’s officiating is a bad joke.

Next. Week in Review. dark

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back atop the NHL standings, and they now have two days off.

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