Toronto Maple Leafs Get Crushed in Game Four vs Tampa Bay Lightning

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a terrible game Sunday night in Tampa.

The Toronto Maple Leafs once again mounted a somewhat spirited comeback, but that is perhaps the nicest thing anyone will ever say about the game they played tonight, which was very bad.

The Leafs did not come out and give the kind of effort that could put away an opponent. Perhaps my view of the game gets skewed because of the early goal, but a team with this reputation, to come out with this effort, at this time, just seems mind boggling.

You try not to be too emotional about it, but I feel like it was a real missed opportunity to make a statement as a contending team, and it isn’t even about winning, even if the series is tied either way, a closer game is better than being blown out.  This game was over after ten minutes basically.

The Leafs can obviously do better, but it was pretty disappointing to see them play so horribly in what should have been a great chance to at the very least show they’re different from the team that lost last year vs Montreal.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa scored immediately, and I think that one thing that really sums this game up completely is the fact that Tampa had 36 scoring chances, and the Leafs had 21. (stats naturalstattrick.com).

Jack Campbell got pulled, and the Leafs stars all pretty much failed to show up, but the most frustrating part, at least to me, was that it seems like this is specific kind of game Toronto should have talked about avoiding.

Given their recent experience, the lineup they dressed ,and also the secret hope I am harboring that somehow they can be the kind of team that wins these games,  its extremely disappointing to see  a goal against in the first minute or so of the first period.

On one hand, I think the Leafs are in pretty good shape , having split the series in Tampa. There are only three options, and it isn’t the best one, but  any Leafs fan would have been happy last week knowing it was going to be 2-2 against Tampa after four games.

The Leafs have the home ice advantage, Tampa are the champs.  It seems like it could go either way.  So basically nothing has changed in the first four games of this series.

I hated this game, I think the Leafs can do better, but there is just no excuse really, for Marner and Matthews to be anything less than dominant.  They combined for two shots. What is anyone supposed to say about that? Every year  you think, no way can this team be so terrible again, and then Matthews has one shot in a playoff game?

I really didn’t want to get negative writing this, but  David Kampf just led your team – your offensive powerhouse team – in shots in a playoff game.

How are you supposed to review a team when that happens?

That’s a bad game all around. For instance, how many players actually have to have bad games for David kampf to lead in shots?  But how do you complain about Matthews, who scored 60 goals? Does he need me to tell him that only getting one shot is kind of weak? How much can you really say when a guy of his talent has just a regular game?

Overall it was a pretty lousy game, but can’t just sit here all day complaining about every little thing – it doesn’t really matter who dresses, or which lines the coach makes if Matthews and Marner get two shots.

The Leafs played their worst game last night, but hopefully they still have their best game yet to come.