The Toronto Maple Leafs are leading the Round 1 series against the Ottawa Senators 3-0 and it’s a reminder, in case there need to be any more of them, that this team looks different. They’ve looked different all season and proved it time and time again, from their continuous winning even during Auston Matthews‘ injury to the pivot to offense when Anthony Stolarz was hurt. Now, the Maple Leafs are showing the hockey world once again that this is the best suited to go on a run, and their play against the Senators is a reminder of that.
Related: How the Maple Leafs Defence Is Stealing Games in the Playoffs
They usually lose those games in the playoffs that go to overtime, especially games where they had a late lead but failed to shut the door. This time around, they are finding ways to win with 3-2 overtime wins in Game 2 and Game 3. The blown leads in the third period are a concern, but what’s stood out is their ability to finish the job, which they’ll look to do on Saturday to sweep their division rival on their way to the second round (and what they’re hoping is their first Stanley Cup title since 1967.)
Maple Leafs Take Things Up a Notch In Overtime
Hockey is filled with backhanded compliments. “This team has a great penalty kill,” sounds like praise, for example, and it’s only a great penalty kill in the first place because the team must take a lot of penalties. The same applies to complimenting the ability to recover after blowing a lead. Sure, the win is great but the only reason it’s a recovery is because they blew a lead in the first place.
Yet, that’s where the Maple Leafs stand after boasting a 2-1 lead in the third period of Game 2 and a 2-1 Game 3 lead with only 8:38 left in regulation, only to win both games 3-2. This time, it’s a bigger deal considering this team’s history and more notably, their recent playoff history and the collapses that come with it. They’ve lost games late, fallen apart in overtime, and had chances to close out a series and struggled to do so, including blowing the 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. The Maple Leafs are winning these games. When the pressure has amped up, they’ve delivered.
They don’t ask how, they…
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