Toronto Maple Leafs: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over: Queue The Comeback

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 20: Auston Matthews #34 and William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate Nylanders first period goal against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 20: Auston Matthews #34 and William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate Nylanders first period goal against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are down 2-0 but that doesn’t matter because this series is still going to go seven games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not going down to the Florida Panthers.

As terrible rock star and author of one good song Lenny Kravitz said in his only good song:

It ain’t over till it’s over.

So queue the comeback playa.

Toronto Maple Leafs Suffer Temporary Set Back

In game one, the Toronto Maple Leafs were the best team for 50 minutes out 60. There was brief ten minute stretch in the first period where they were outplayed, but other than that, they were great.

Sure, the idiots took their first opportunity to jump on whipping boy William Nylander, but as usual, he didn’t deserve it.   

The team played great and was only thwarted by a even better game by Sergei Bobrovsky, the most mercurial of goalies.

The Leafs could have been winning 3-0 in the first ten minutes and they could have scored six times with their goalie out.  They even hit a couple of posts.

Then last night, the Leafs once again where indisputably the better team.

Only the heroics of the Panther’s goalie prevented a complete and utter beatdown.

There were at least two cross-bars as the Leafs sought to tie it.

Matthews, Marner, and Nylander each had 6 shots, while Tavares had five.  I am not sure how many times those guys have combined for 23 shots and came away with zero goals, but I’m guessing the answer is probably zero other times.

Bobrovsky was ridiculous.

Matthews had 11 shot attempts, and four dangerous scoring chances, and six total scoring chances.

The Leafs core-four had 13 dangerous chances and zero goals.

OK then.

Both the Panthers and the Devils lost two games on home ice to kick off their first round series this year, and went on to win.

Just like the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to do. (stats naturalstattrick.com).

Sam Bennet should be suspended for at least the next three games, and Sergei Bobrovsky can’t possibly continue to morph into Dominick Hasek every time the puck drops.

A lot of people will write the team off now that they are down 2-0, but the fact is, this is a resiliant team that has made comeback after comeback in the playoffs over the last five years.

Remember when they were down 3-0 to Columbus with like four minutes left, forced OT and won? Remember when they came back to tie the game, down by multiple goals, against Montreal on multiple occasions?

And remember last week when they made an astounding comeback down 4-1 against Tampa and won in overtime?

I do.  And in two weeks, you’ll remember their astounding comeback from being down 2-0 in the series to the Panthers when they went on to win the next four games.

This is the team, this is the year. As an actual good rock star, who wrote tons and tons of great songs, once said: You gotta have faith.