Last night's barn-burner between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets had just about everyone up out of their seats, and for more than one reason. After laying an egg through 40 minutes, gift-wrapping a 5-0 lead for the Columbus Blue Jackets, I'm sure there were a number of people who left their seats vacant in an attempt to beat the traffic and get home early last night. However, those individuals missed one hell of a final.
With just 20 minutes to go in the game, a depleted blueline, and a number of players battling the flu, the Maple Leafs found a way to claw back, scoring 5 unanswered goals in the third period to force overtime. Auston Matthews and William Nylander both had golden opportunities to win in the extra frame, but couldn't sneak the deciding goal past Elvis Merzlikins, and eventually, Kent Johnson put the game on ice with a dagger through the hearts of the Leafs to secure a 6-5 OT win.
Following the game, William Nylander was among those who spoke with the media, emphasizing the tremendous belief that this group has in one another. However, he did it in such a way that came off just a little too cocky for some.
Obviously, it was nice for the Leafs to bank a point after being down 5-0 after 40 minutes, but Nylander definitely lost sight of the fact that it doesn't matter if you score 5 when you give up 6. More to the point, you simply can't give up 6 goals against a bottom-feeder, regardless of the circumstances.
The bottom line is that the Leafs, on home ice, had a chance to bank an easy 2 points against an inferior opponent and, once again, they dropped the ball. I'm all for banking points, but that's a game that 1 point just doesn't suffice and I understand why Nylander is taking some heat for the unwarranted overconfidence. It's one thing to make that comment if you came out on the winning end of a 6-5 decision, but it's another entirely to brag about being down 5 goals and coming back only to lose in OT on home ice against the lowly Blue Jackets.
