Toronto Maple Leafs Perform Great, Will Clinch Series Saturday

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to Tampa last night, failing to clinch the series victory.

Though past performances continue to haunt how the Toronto Maple Leafs are viewed and analyzed, there is no real concern with last night’s game.

At least there shouldn’t be by any sane person.

The Leafs played well enough to win, and not only that, but they were probably not ever going to beat Tampa in four straight games.

While I’m sure people are nervous, I have no doubt the boys in blue will come through for us at least once over the next two games.

Toronto Maple Leafs Are Going to Win the Stanley Cup

The Leafs have a fantastic roster, and they failed last night to dress their best lineup.   Like game one in the series, the loss was more on Sheldon Keefe and the Referees than it as on the team.

Like I said yesterday, sitting Bunting was idiotic. He’s clearly better than half the players on the team, and it was just bad karma to sit a player whose 5v5 performance for the last two seasons is star-level.

Bunting needs to play in game six, and should never have sat for game five.

As for defense, I’m no Luke Schenn fan, but even I’ll admit he’s been good. Regardless, it was stupid to sit Timothy Liljegren last year in the playoffs and it’s stupid to sit him this year.  Over two seasons the Leafs have won nearly 60% of his minutes. Sitting him is asinine.

Either Schenn or Holl needs to sit, probably Holl because he’s been horrible.  Keefe looked pathetic in his press conference trying to defend him – you can’t believe the coach who throws Nylander to the wolves at the slightest provocation defends Holl to the death.

As for the actual play last night, I don’t know what there is to say other than:

• If Holl doesn’t miss that check and take himself out of the play, the Leafs win.
• If Marner scores on that breakaway, the Leafs win.
• If there is a correct call, and Tampa gets a 5 minute boarding penalty, the Leafs win.
• If there is a correct call, and the Leafs get a 5:3 after that blatant trip, right in front of the ref, the Leafs win.
• Finally, if Vaselevskiy doesn’t have a great game, Leafs win.

I feel most confident because the odds of the Leafs losing another clinching game are about 0%, and the odds of them losing two have negative probability (which, like Gigowats, is a totally real thing).

Game in six in Tampa on Saturday will involve the most ridiculous first round victory celebrations ever, and rightly so.