The Toronto Maple Leafs may be down 2-0 against the Florida Panthers, but this series is far from finished.
You can blame me for these two losses because I thought this series would be a calk-walk for the Toronto Maple Leafs. If you gave me $1,000,000 to gamble with, I would have put it all on the Leafs to be up 2-0 after two games, instead of down 0-2.
Through two games, this team hasn’t played bad, but instead have ran into the hottest goalie on the planet in Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky has been nearly-perfect in two games and is the only reason why the Panthers are winning this series. Toronto continued to pepper him with shots on Thursday night, but after a rough first period, he calmed down and ended up with 35 saves on the night.
This is an absolute nightmare for the Leafs because the only thing that will stop them from winning this series is Bobrovsky. Toronto is a much better team overall, but if the Panthers’ netminder continues to play like the two-time Vezina Trophy winner that he is, Toronto is in tough.
But at the same time, the Leafs can win two games on the road and get back into this series. They’re a resilient bunch and are built different than previous seasons.
Toronto Maple Leafs Can Still Win This Series
Here’s the thing about professional sports and curses. When the Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series, they did it in unprecedented fashion. Down 3-0 against their arch rivals, the New York Yankees, the Red Sox battled back and eventually won the series in seven, on route to their first World Series in 86 years.
Throughout every playoff-run, you need a little adversity and that’s where the Leafs currently stand. If this was the team of 2022 or prior, I’d say that this series is over and the team is cursed, but this roster is built different.
Although they’re down 2-0 in the series, it could easily be 2-0 the other way. This team has new leaders in Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn who have won Stanley Cup’s and have been through this long battle before. Those type of players should calm the dressing room down and make them aware that they’re not out of this series at all.
When the team goes down to Florida, it’s not like they’re walking into Boston or Montreal’s building. Instead, they’re going to be playing in an arena where it’ll probably be 50 percent Leafs fans.
The Panthers banned Canadian residents in buying tickets for these games, but there’s no way they can stop them from getting in. Whether it’s through the secondary market or Leafs fans who have Florida residency’s, the true Toronto fans will find a way into the building and I promise you Game 3 and 4 could feel like a home game for our beloved blue-and-white.
Toronto’s core looked awesome on Thursday night, but a terrible end to the first period and start to the second period cost them the game. They can’t make those mistakes again and I don’t think they will.
If the Leafs lose this series because Bobrovsky turns into the greatest goalie on the planet, sobeit, but there’s no reason to believe this team still can’t win. It’s actually kind of a blessing that they get an extra day off between Game 2 and 3 because it should give them a chance to breathe and reflect.
Don’t give up hope yet because this series is far from over and the Toronto Maple Leafs will give us something to be proud of Sunday night.