The top-5 worst games of the Matthews era
The day the Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL draft lottery, ensuring that Auston Matthews would be a Maple Leaf, was a franchise altering moment. A new day had come. We were headed to the promised land. With William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Morgan Rielly in tow, the future was bright and a new era had begun. Finally the misery spanning over a decade was finished.
Fast forward 5 years, things are better, but misery is still very much tainting Leafs Nation. Last night, the Buds blew a 4-1 lead on the road in Colorado. Another blown lead, another punchline for other fanbases to sling at us. Inspired by yet another gut-punch loss, here is my interpretation on a list of the top-5 worst games of the Matthews era.
5. October 12th, 2016: Ottawa Senators 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 4
The new era had begun. Auston Matthews would make his debut in the very first game of the 16/17 season, and what a phenomenal debut it was. Our new savior scored 4 goals in his first game. It was more than we could have ever dreamed of.
So why is this here? Well, despite Matthews' dominant performance, the Leafs lost the game 5-4. The rest of the team felt no need to take any shine off of the kid and let him score all the goals. The end result was a losing effort. We all brushed it off at the time with our blue-tinted glasses, but a new lousy tradition was born, alongside our new legend.
4. February 23rd, 2020: Carolina Hurricanes 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 3
Ahh yes the most famous loss in Leafs history. Don't agree? Google it! It made every major media outlet's front page. People, New York Times, TMZ, etc etc. Why is this random game so significant? One name, David Ayres. The emergency back up goaltender/Marlies Zamboni driver. His debut made him the oldest to do so in NHL history. He was also a kidney transplant survivor, which added another layer of intrigue to the story.
This game was a feel-good movie for almost the entire sports world, but especially for Carolina Hurricanes fans. I say almost because it hangs over Leafs fans heads like a criminal conviction. Not much to write about the game. After the 2 Canes goalies got hurt in the course of the first period and a half. Ayers would make his unexpected debut. He allowed goals on his first 2 shots faced, but the hero/villain of this tale steadied himself and blanked the organization he worked for the rest of the way. It's a once in a lifetime moment in sports. For the Leafs it was a Thursday.
3. February 15th, 2021: Ottawa Senators 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 5
I promise, this is the last time you will see Ottawa on this list. This one is a special one. The Leafs, at home, were in the process of blowing out a really bad Senators team. But as is often the case with the Leafs, they started to coast after going up 5-1. What happened next? Yep, you guessed it. A young Sens team turned it on.
Ottawa would make it 5-2 before the end of the 2nd and Leafs fans paid it no mind. No, seriously. There's no way that a team this bad could do this, right? Plot twist: the provincial rival Senators would proceed to absolutely pepper the Leafs for 3 goals in the 3rd to send it overtime. Credit Evgenii Dadonov, who tied it in the 3rd, and finished the comeback in overtime. This stinky performance is immortalized in the Amazon All or Nothing docuseries. That night, the Leafs began to make the choice to give nothing.
2. April 25th, 2018: Game 7 - Boston Bruins 7, Toronto Maple Leafs 4
My Beloved Leafs gave me this one for my 34th birthday, if you can believe that. This was the probably the absolute low point in my Leafs fandom at the time. From a 3rd period collapse to blowing multiple leads.. it's why I despise Jake Gardiner to this day. It's also a reminder of why I love Jack Campbell so much now.
Not much to say here. The Leafs were up 4-3 heading into the 3rd. The team decided as a unit to just roll over and allow 4 unanswered goals by the Bruins. My favourite Star Wars movie is The Empire Strikes back.. this leafs series is the Empire Strikes back of the Leafs Bruins trilogy in the 2010's. Just a depressing loss for the Leafs. And for yours truly, the birthday boy in 2018.
May 29th, 2021: Game 6 - Montreal Canadiens 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2
"It was 3-1"! I'm sure you have heard this a lot since last spring. Honestly, Games 1, 5, or 7 could top this list as well, but I choose game 6 because it defines the term «Leafing it». The modern Leafs have a reputation for not starting on time in big games. This game is probably a prime example of that.
Jack Campbell kept the boys in the game for 2 periods, as the Leafs did their best to help the Habs extend the series. A few minutes into the 3rd, Corey Perry would get an assist from there referee and some puck luck to make it 1-0. The Leafs would challenge the goal, albeit unsuccessfully, which was followed up by the infamous Marner puck over the glass/crying in the penalty box image.
Tofolli would make it 2-0 and, at that moment, I swear you could hear all of Leafs Nation groan. Jason Spezza would start the comeback, and T.J. Brodie, on a beauty slapper, would tie it late. The two teams were headed to overtime, where The Leafs would absolutely dominate. Shots were 13-1, when Travis Dermott, for some strange reason, decides to commit an ill-advised spin-o-rama, coughing up the puck in the process. Just like that, a dominant overtime was ruined when Kotkaniemi puts one past Jack Campbell. Habs win You know the rest.
This game haunts me 8 months later, and maybe it will forever. This is the worst moment in the Matthews era for me.
