The Toronto Maple Leafs brought life back to the city following the Blue Jays’ gut-wrenching defeat. The epic comeback on Monday night at the expense of the Pittsburgh Penguins was one for the ages.
But the amazing four-goal, third-period rally does not mask one key issue.
The Maple Leafs had just eight shots on goal through 40 minutes. That was it, ocho shots on goal. A typical cemetery was more alive than Scotiabank Arena. Fans that left early to catch the TTC or get a headstart on traffic missed what was arguably the best comeback we’ve seen in years.
Yet, somehow, something flipped.
As the final seconds ticked away on the middle frame, the Amazon Prime broadcast focused on Craig Berube’s face as he headed the Maple Leafs’ locker room. The expression on his face was akin to someone just finding out their crypto wallet had been hacked.
For one, I would not have wanted to be in that locker room. Berube, as cool a guy as he is, most likely had a meltdown. I’m sure that the guys in that locker room had a come-Jesus-moment.
Then, the flipped switched. The Auston Matthews finally showed up as the captain, opening the floodgates with a beautiful goal. From there, the deluge was unstoppable for the Penguins. The Penguins were overrun, with the Leafs steamrolling them en route to the comeback win.
But why did it have to take that long for the Maple Leafs to find that extra gear? Did the team have to be on the edge of the abyss to finally wake up?
Sure, the comeback win was amazing, but it doesn’t mask the fact that this team doesn’t really seem to want to win. They were absolutely dreadful for the first 40 minutes. But then, the third period showed a completely different team. It’s as if the entire lineup had been swapped out for another team.
As Matthews said in the post-game media op, “this is who were are.”
All right, fair enough. So, why the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde treatment? Halloween is over. It’s time to get down to business and make the most of the remaining games.
But I will say this. The Leafs pulled off the win against one of the hottest, if not the hottest, team in the NHL. That deserves plenty of credit. But let’s face it: The Maple Leafs cannot afford many more stinkers such as Monday night’s awful first 40 minutes.
I want to be optimistic here, so I’ll say this: The Leafs hit rock-bottom during that second intermission. Perhaps that was the point when the team realized just how bad they have been this season. Then, a light shined and the team rallied.
The Leafs will be back on the ice on Wednesday night against the Utah Mammoth. Let’s see which team shows up then.