Toronto Maple Leafs Go Down With Amazing Effort to Be Proud Of

Oct 22, 2022; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) looks on in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2022; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) looks on in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs are out of the playoffs.

However, while the Toronto Maple Leafs may have lost, they should be proud of how they played.

They were the better team in four of the five games against the Panthers, and the fact is, they ran into a hot goalie.

People will say I’m just making excuses, but I don’t need to make excuses for anyone. The fact is, Sergei Bobrovsky played out of his mind.

Toronto Maple Leafs Go Down With Amazing Effort to Be Proud Of

The Leafs had 53 shots and 43 scoring chances.  There isn’t a lot you can do beyond that.

They played a great defensive game, they made few mistakes.  They got a great game from rookie goalie Joseph Woll and all their top players had excellent games.

They just happened to lose.

Though, to be fair, they shouldn’t have since they clearly scored a goal that didn’t end up counting. It’s hard to say if the NHL is against the Leafs or just incompetent, but the Leafs, for the second year in a row, lost a series because a game official made the wrong call.

Panthers also scored the winning goal on a play that was clearly interference.

What’s messed up is that the Leafs did actually overcome these problems – they just couldn’t overcome Bobrovsky.

Over the length of the five game series, the Leafs were only outplayed in one game, and in that game they still managed to get to overtime and give themselves a chance to win.

So in my opinion, there is nothing to be mad about.  Great team, great year, and most of all, great effort in their last game.

Obviously hockey is an emotional game, and lot of fans will want to place blame.  There is no one to blame, however.  The Leafs best players were great. Maybe they didn’t score, but they did everything you’re supposed to do.  Matthews had a ton of shots and scoring chances.  Matthews played great defense, and blocked a ton of shots.

He got unlucky. What can you do?

I know it’s a tired refrain, but it keeps happening.  The Toronto Maple Leafs got great performances  from pretty much all their players, and from their goalie, and who knows what they could have done if they had Robertson and Knies.

So once again it’s an early summer for the Leafs, but who cares? They did their best and that’s all you can ask.  Everyone should understand that hockey, at the pro level, is a game of bounces and goalies and refereeing.

If your team puts in a bad effort, as in game three, be upset.  But games one, two, four and five were all solid games by the Leafs.  Game Five was especially great.  Everyone will be upset but cooler heads should prevail.  This is a great team, and their time will come.