Shocking stat shows just how abnormal this series has been for the Leafs' core
Anyone who pays attention would tell you the Toronto Maple Leafs are not a "normal" hockey team. They lose games to awful teams, put on a clinic and win against some of the best in the league, make opposing rent-a-goalies look like Vezina Trophy candidates and light up the best netminders in the world. They beat out a team with 2 Stanley Cups and 3 trips to the Finals in 3 years and have now found themselves in a 3-0 hole against the 17th best regular season team in the league. Need I say more?
This second round series between the Leafs and Panthers has been even more abnormal than usual. For the first time ever - that's right, EVER - the Maple Leafs' core 4 of Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander have all been held without a goal for 3 straight games. Through regular season and playoffs, losing streaks and first round exits, the core 4 has never been THIS bad for 3 straight games. The only thing about this that is typical is that it's happening to them in the playoffs against an inferior opponent, following suit in their losses to Columbus and Montreal. Classic Leafs.
Oddly enough, I actually don't blame this on a lack of effort, aside from Game 3. The Leafs lost Game 1 on mistakes despite dominating the play. In Game 2, and especially in Game 3, they've been gripping the sticks too tight and playing not to make a mistake instead of playing to win. Unfortunately, that leads to overthinking, which leads to more mistakes. They're caught in a vicious cycle created by their own stupid brains.
There's two pieces of good news here. One, the solution is fairly simple. Skate. Skate first, think second. The more they move their feet, the more time and space they'll be able to create. We all know how dangerous these guys are when they have time and space. Second, the games have all been close without any contributions from the core 4. If they find the swagger they had in Round 1, there's a legitimate, albeit slim chance that they can pull off a miracle. They've dug themselves a huge hole here, but now is the time to see what this year's team is made of. We've all heard about how different they are. Now it's time to prove that they are indeed different.
| POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 479 ANSWERS Shocking stat shows just how abnormal this series has been for the Leafs' core How many games will the Leafs win in this series? | ||
| 0 | 173 | 36.1 % |
| 1-2 | 114 | 23.8 % |
| 3 | 19 | 4 % |
| They're winning in 7 games | 173 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
