By Jaden Chiang
So, how many of you expected us to be here?
The Toronto Maple Leafs end their postseason in the first round, yet again, with a 2-1 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 Saturday night. Both Lightning goals were by Nick Paul, his first-ever Playoff goals. After Toronto’s only goal from Morgan Reilly in the second period, no official goals could get past Tampa’s goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Although the team raised a good fight against the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions through Games 1-6, the result remains the same. The series was extremely tight, with each team exchanging wins until Tampa secured two consecutive wins in Games 6 and 7 to move on to face the Florida Panthers in Round 2.
The Maple Leafs are the first team in MLB/NBA/NHL history to lose a winner-take-all game in the opening round of the playoffs five years in a row. They continue their drought in surpassing the first round of the playoffs since 2004.
Was this the final straw for this team? Are some serious changes going to be made over the summer?
Overall, there is a different feeling surrounding this year’s playoff loss. The Leafs proved they could score playoff-style goals, respond after a loss, and lay on hard hits with grit and determination. They looked like a better team – one who could withstand the grind of both the regular season and playoffs and ultimately find victory.
In their end-of-season interviews, many players commented on the details, small margin, and fine line between a win and loss. These didn’t sound like the same old excuses. After all, the team was only one goal short of finally making it past the first round.
Team president Brendan Shanahan confirmed that GM Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe will both return next year. “We will not be making changes just simply for the sake of saying we made changes,” Dubas said on Tuesday.
What should we expect heading into the 2022-2023 season? Can the group stick it out and have another chance next year? In any case, fingers crossed that the Leafs obtain playoff success while we all still care to watch.
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