4. Don’t Play a Game 7
The two best words in sports are “Game Seven,” but if you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, those words scare the crap out of you.
For whatever reason, the Leafs have been abysmal in Game 7’s over the past few seasons and it’s been tough to watch. During the Auston Matthews Era, Toronto has lost three Game 7’s (Boston Bruins x2, Montreal Canadiens) and have lost in Game 5, which was a do-or-die game once (Columbus Blue Jackets).
In the four biggest moments of the past five seasons, the Leafs haven’t been able to get it done.
So, how do you fix this problem?
Well, you don’t play a Game 7!
Instead, you get the job done well before you have to play that deciding game. It’s way harder than it sounds but when you get a lead in a series, you need to close. That’s been the biggest issue for the Leafs over the years and they need to make the first few games of a series their priority and not let it get to a deciding game.
Knowing the Leafs and how we’ve all been affected as a fan, they will play a Game 7 and it’ll probably be in the Stanley Cup Finals. Non of us will be able to breathe as we watch that game, but they’ll end all of the criticism by finally winning that game, and John Tavares will finally get to lift the Stanley Cup over his head.
We can all dream, so let’s hope that scenario comes true, but the last thing we need is for the Leafs to play another Game 7…