It’s been far too easy to be negative about the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last two decades.
That’s because the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made it to the second round of the playoffs since before ‘The Facebook‘ gave their users a Wall as part of their online profile.
There’s been many theorized curses on the Leafs. If it was one, now the Facebook Curse has been lifted. It broke on Saturday night at 4:36 in overtime when Toronto’s captain, John Tavares put the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy. His goal delivers the Buds to the second round of the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Haven’t Lost a Second Round Series in 19 Years
Toronto Maple Leafs fans who have moped over Toronto’s 19-year second round drought can now rejoice. There’s a lot to celebrate. Most of all, it’s that while the Maple Leafs may have lost more first-round series than I have friends on Facebook, they haven’t lost a second-round series since 2004.
For those that don’t believe there are coincidences in hockey, it’s fun to note that 19 years ago, General Manager Kyle Dubas was 19 years old. Let’s also remember that the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs advanced past the second round was 2002. That’s the same year that the newest member of the team, Matthew Knies, was born. Knies has an incredible NHL record. He won all three regulation and three out of the four playoff games he’s played.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans need to stay positive about the second round. The team still hasn’t shared an update over goaltender Matt Murray’s return from injury, but more playoff games means he has a better chance of joining the team. This would be incredible for Murray, both because it would mean he has recovered from his head injury and also because he’d get the chance to watch his crease-mate, Ilya Samsonov, up close. With Samsonov standing on his head and arguably being the Leafs best player this post season, Murray would surely enjoy watching Samsonov from the players bench.
Round 2 gives Michael Bunting a chance to remain eligible to play for an entire series in 2023. It also gives Sheldon Keefe the opportunity to get his lines right. It took six games for Toronto’s coach to get Timothy Liljegren on the ice and the same time to get Justin Holl out.
Best of all, Maple Leafs fans should be happy that an opening-round series victory should help convince President Brendan Shanahan to extend their general manager’s contract. Dubas has earned it and proven that he put the right pieces in place to punch his ticket to the second round.
It needs to remain all smiles in Toronto. Enjoy the ride fans. It’s been a long enough wait. Hopefully, the Maple Leafs can extend their second-round undefeated streak for another year by capturing four more wins within their next seven games.