Brayden Point got the OT winner (Andrew Bershaw, Icon Sportswire)
The Toronto Maple Leafs once again doomed their fans to three additional hours of torture after a heart-shattering overtime loss in Game 6.
Here are my 5 takeaways as the Leafs fail to bury the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champs.
1. Toronto Deserves This
For the first playoff series for over a decade, the Toronto Maple Leafs can blame somebody other than themselves. I'll get to the refs in a second, but Toronto has finally been able to outplay their opponents in a playoff series. Despite that, they are now just 1 game away from elimination in the first-round.
The Leafs have outplayed Tampa Bay in 4 of the 6 games. They've been able to solve the unsolvable Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Core 4 are having their best ever playoff run from individual perspectives. The general manager and the coach are finally satisfied with the roster that they have constructed. They had the best 82-game season in franchise history. They have the Hart Trophy favourite leading the line. The special teams have been well above league average. Yet if they don't show up with their A+ game for 3 hours on Saturday, this season will be deemed a failure.
It's unfair to them. While I've complained about the mental toll it would take on me to spend 300 hours of my life, either watching games or writing takeaways for a team that loses in the first-round, think about the players, the coaches and every other member of the organization.
There are hundreds who have dedicated their lives and been working non-stop for the benefit of the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise. For a myriad of reasons that are largely out of the Leafs' hands, their hard work is now in danger of being ripped apart. It's painful for me and it's painful for them.
Auston Matthews said that everybody is ready to "put their balls on the line," which is reassuring, but it doesn't guarantee that the Leafs will win the series. After a brilliant full season, the Leafs are one poor effort away from elimination.
In 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, poor goaltending, silly hits, questionable coaching decisions and invisibility from the superstars doomed the Leafs to first-round exits. This year, they've outplayed a mini-dynasty, yet it's possible that each of those seasons suffer the same result. Hopefully that will spur on the Leafs to a legendary Game 7 victory, but I'm back in my pessimistic attitude. Can the Leafs show me why I have the Passion™️, or will I end up getting sick and crying on the carpet? Those are the stakes; don't let me down.
2. Refereeing Screws Over the Leafs
It's poetic that the Leafs have now come on the losing end of two controversial high-stick calls in hockey history.
In 1993, Wayne Gretzky got away with a high-stick and wound up scoring a Game 6 overtime winner to even the series. The Los Angeles Kings ended up winning Game 7 and going to the Stanley Cup finals off the back of a Gretzky hat trick.
In 2022, the Leafs were penalized for two completely legal plays and the Tampa Bay Lightning took advantage of the ensuing 5-on-3 to tie the game and end up scoring a Game 6 overtime winner to even the series. Sound familiar?
In '93, it was Kerry Fraser. In '22, it's Kelly Sutherland. Two very similar names, two refs who absolutely stole a series victory from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs had just 1 power play in this game. On the two controversial high-stick calls, David Kampf hit Cal Foote in the shoulder with his stick, which per the rulebook, is not a high stick. On the other call, Victor Hedman lifted Alex Kerfoot's stick into his own face and then embellished for good measure. In overtime, the Lightning got away with two blatant infractions. Alex Killorn holds on to Auston Matthews' jersey for a good 15 seconds: no call. Victor Hedman elbows Michael Bunting in his own crease: no call. To make it even more painful, Brayden Point scored his OT winner on the same play as the non-call on Bunting.
It'll be solely on the Leafs if they fail to advance from the first round for a 6th consecutive time. But if not for the biased officiating, we wouldn't have to worry about a Game 7 and the Leafs could be preparing for Round 2. But Gary Bettman hates the Leafs and it could have just doomed their season.
3. It's All Right to be Scared
I would anticipate that the majority of people that are reading a full article on the Toronto Maple Leafs are probably fans of the team. If you aren't, that's perfectly fine, but this next section is just for those that are part of Leafs Nation.
You can be scared. Heck, I'm terrified. My heart's been pumping above 100 beats per minute all day and the decisive game isn't until 7:00 PM tomorrow. Whether you're a casual fan or somebody who has dedicated as much time to this stupid team as I have, you are allowed to be worried at the prospect of yet another playoff heartbreak.
If they lose, it's okay to feel sad. Go ahead and cry about the result. If you care that much, tears are absolutely warranted. If they win, it's okay to be rambunctious. I want you to have the Passion™️. Go out on the streets and wave your rally towels if you wish. If you want to, be superstitious for the day of the game. Wear your lucky socks. Eat your favourite meal. For goodness' sake, don't break any mirrors.
But don't forget about this team. Even if they come up short, we should be talking in a positive note about this team for a long time. This was a special journey and the squad deserves credit for taking Tampa Bay to the brink. By 10:00 PM tomorrow night, I'll be either shedding tears or grinning uncontrollably (unless we go to overtime; in that case, I'll probably have a cardiac arrest). However, I will reflect on the journey. It's unfair that the Leafs are rewarded for this year with a win-or-go-home game with which they have had many struggles.
Whatever. Win or lose, happy or sad, this was fun, was it not? Let's rally around the boys, Leafs Nation. It's the best honour we can bestow upon this team.
4. Johnny T is Still Elite
After Game 4, Sheldon Keefe said that "John's [Tavares] game will come around." Well, I'm sure glad that he was right.
The Leafs' captain had a great Game 5, notably teeing up Morgan Rielly for the 2-2 goal with beautiful stick-handling. In Game 6, despite Toronto's loss, Johnny T was scintillating. He had two crucial goals in the last stages of the second period. He was driving into the crease and getting the puck to his stick with ease. His faceoff success rate wasn't at its' typical brilliance, but he still had some key wins. For the second and third periods, Tavares looked like the best player on the ice.
If Tavares is the best player on the ice in Game 7, you'd have to say that the Maple Leafs have a good chance to win the series. Let's hope the captain's "moment" can maybe become two moments. He can cement himself into history books with a repeat of his Game 6 performance. Can the $11 million man show up when it counts?
5. Vasilevskiy's Masterpiece
Andrei Vasilevskiy wasn't all that great in Game 6 as a whole. In the last minute of the second period, when Tampa needed some big saves to preserve momentum, Vasilevskiy didn't look like the dominant force of nature that he typically is. He let in two goals, one of which definitely should not have gone in on an elite goalie.
But in the last 30 minutes of the game, the Russian netminder reminded Leafs fans why we should be afraid of a winner-take-all game. Vasilevskiy changed the game, making a number of key saves. I got major flashbacks to Game 6 last year, when the Leafs outplayed the Montreal Canadiens thoroughly for overtime, but a heroic goaltending performance from Carey Price gave the Habs a chance to win it. That's the word to summarize "Vasy" in OT. Heroic.
We hadn't seen the best of Vasilevskiy in this series yet (he has an .885 SV% and a 3.37 GAA), but if the Russian can carry over his dominance from the latter part of Game 6 to the elimination game, the Leafs are going to need a miracle to advance.
PREVIEW OF GAME 7
Yeah, of course, we need a Game 7. This series always seemed destined for the distance. Leafs fans should feel nervous. Lightning fans should also feel nervous. Both teams have their seasons on the line.
I just can't shake away the demons of the past though. In the Auston Matthews era, the Leafs are 0-9 in potentially series-clinching games. In closeout games, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who I just praised, has 5 consecutive shutouts. I can't ignore the fact that we haven't seen the best from him yet. Records and streaks are meant to be broken, but it's tough to buck trends, especially when you are a team that has literally had the same trend for two decades.
I still have the Passion™️. But I'm beginning to see parallels to 2019 and 2021 here. The Leafs have one final chance to prove that they are different than past versions of the team. They have to seize this and ignore their jitters. It's time for this team to do what they were built to do.
Don't miss it, everybody. This is the biggest game of the season.
ALL STATS COURTESY OF MONEYPUCK AND NATURAL STAT TRICK
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