The Toronto Maple Leafs are an Authentic Six franchise which have loved an immense quantity of success all through their historical past. They’ve received a whopping 13 Stanley Cup championships.
However these days, they have not come wherever near reaching the mountaintop of the game. It is truly been the precise reverse.
The Maple Leafs have made first-round exits in every of the final six Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have not received a playoff sequence for the reason that 2003-04 season, after they reached the Japanese Convention semifinals. Taking the postseason struggles of the final twenty years into consideration makes Thursday’s Sport 5 a must-win state of affairs for the Maple Leafs in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It is all due to how all too acquainted they’re with the Lightning.
Within the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs held a 3-2 sequence lead earlier than the Lightning received the ultimate two video games to take the sequence, which included a detailed 2-1 lead to Sport 7. Coming into Thursday night time’s Sport 5, the Maple Leafs have the entire momentum. They erased a 4-1 third-period deficit and Alexander Kerfoot tipped house the game-winning aim simply 4:14 into time beyond regulation to clinch a 5-4 win in Sport 4.
The Maple Leafs cannot afford to take the Lightning frivolously and must ship the knockout blow in Sport 5. The Lightning have been to the previous three Stanley Cup Finals and have received two of them. They seem to be a veteran staff that has been in these kinds of conditions earlier than.
To color a transparent image of why Toronto wants to finish this sequence as quickly as doable, let’s have a look again at how the Maple Leafs’ playoff woes have performed out of late — beginning with what occurred six seasons in the past.
2017: Eradicated by Capitals in first spherical
The Washington Capitals received the Presidents’ Trophy through the 2016-17 season and had been the highest seed within the Japanese Convention. Regardless of being the second Wild Card staff within the East, the Maple Leafs truly held a 2-1 sequence lead after Tyler Bozak scored the game-winning aim in time beyond regulation to place Toronto up within the sequence. However that was the final time that the Maple Leafs would style victory within the sequence. The Capitals received the following three video games. Marcus Johansson eradicated the Maple Leafs 6:31 into the time beyond regulation interval as he scored his second aim of the competition in Sport 6. Each sport within the sequence was determined by a single aim and it was simply the third sequence in NHL historical past during which 5 video games went to time beyond regulation.
2018: Eradicated by Bruins in first spherical
Very similar to the 2023 postseason, the Maple Leafs discovered themselves in a 2-3 matchup in opposition to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins dominated the Maple Leafs within the opening two video games of the sequence as they outscored Toronto, 12-4. Boston went up 3-1 earlier than the Maple Leafs got here roaring again due to sturdy performances from goaltender Frederik Andersen, who recorded 74 saves in Video games 5 and 6 to assist even the sequence. In Sport 7, the Maple Leafs held a 4-3 lead heading into the third interval. Then the Bruins scored 4 unanswered targets within the last 20 minutes to win, 7-4.
2019: Eradicated by Bruins in first spherical
Only one yr later, the Maple Leafs took on the Bruins within the opening spherical of the postseason but once more. The Maple Leafs had completed third within the Atlantic Division and misplaced to the Bruins in three of their 4 regular-season conferences. Nonetheless, the groups had been evenly matched all through the primary 5 video games of their opening-round sequence. However after alternating the primary 4 video games, the Bruins outscored the Maple Leafs, 9-3, over the ultimate two of the sequence to get rid of Toronto for the second consecutive marketing campaign. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask stopped 32 of the 33 photographs that he confronted in Sport 7 and Boston earned a convincing 5-1 victory.
2020: Eradicated by Blue Jackets in qualifying spherical
The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs had a wierd configuration that was introduced on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which closely affected the NHL’s common season and postseason schedules. When the common season was lower brief, Toronto discovered themselves matched up with the Columbus Blue Jackets within the qualifying spherical. The Maple Leafs had been the No. 8 seed whereas the Blue Jackets had been the No. 9 seed. The sequence began out with a pair of shutouts as Blue Jackets netminder Joonas Korpisalo had one in Sport 1 and Andersen responded with one in all his personal in Sport 2 to even the sequence. Finally, Korpisalo ended up shutting down the Maple Leafs in Sport 5 in a 3-0 triumph, which ended Toronto’s season.
2021: Eradicated by Canadiens in first spherical
The 2021 season was shortened to simply 56 common season contests because of the residuals results of the schedule being pushed again from the COVID-19 pandemic within the earlier yr. The Maple Leafs completed in first place within the North Division with 77 factors whereas the Canadiens got here in fourth place with simply 59 factors. After dropping Sport 1, the Maple Leafs ripped off three consecutive victories and outscored the Canadiens 11-2 throughout these contests. The Canadiens rallied to win Video games 5 and 6 in time beyond regulation to power a winner-take-all Sport 7. Canadiens star goaltender Carey Value recorded 30 saves and fully shut down the Maple Leafs in a 3-1 win to take the sequence
Throughout this six-year stretch we’re highlights, that is in all probability probably the most deflating sequence loss for the Maple Leafs. .
2022: Eradicated by Lightning in first spherical
The newest playoff blunder got here through the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs in a sequence that the Maple Leafs had each likelihood to win. They earned 115 factors within the common season, however the two groups did cut up their 4 common season contests. Toronto opened the sequence pretty sturdy by successful two of the primary three video games, together with a convincing 5-0 shutout in Sport 1. After falling 7-3 in Sport 4, the Maple Leafs rose to the event in Sport 5 with a 4-3 victory on their house ice. Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly tallied third-period targets to provide Toronto an enormous benefit within the sequence.
The Maple Leafs rallied again from a two-goal deficit in Sport 6 to power time beyond regulation, however Brayden Level bought the final chortle as he scored to power a Sport 7. Regardless of enjoying at house, Lightning ahead Nick Paul proved to be the star of the present as he scored each of his staff’s targets in a 2-1 triumph. Following this loss, the Maple Leafs have now misplaced eight consecutive playoff. Can that drought finish on Thursday night time?