They were aware. As soon as Point scored the overtime winner in Game 6, the fans knew what was coming. It would be another Game 7 loss, at home, but this time in front of the ScotiaBank Arena crowd. Some would say that this is the natural state of the Leafs, that their fans prefer to be wailing about curses and misfortune, and that winning would relieve them of what makes them feel like they stand out. I would usually tell you that. The Leafs self-examination/flagellation is the most annoying proceeding in the hockey world, at least for everyone outside the T.O. The exercise of the Leafs self-examination is mostly for the show itself, as they have made themselves famous by being more cartoonish than the last guy who became famous for being cartoonish. Leafs Nation doesn't really care about finding answers, just in screaming at everyone about how they can't find them and what an awful way to live it. There aren't any answers for the Leafs, at least not any that aren't already on the roster. There is a perception that a march to a championship is linear, but that is not always the case. It rarely is. The Hawks went from out of the playoffs, to conference finalist, to champ. There is a comfort that every fan base thinks will come to them. The Kings went from two first-round losses to the title. The Capitals spent the first 12 years of Alex Ovechkin's career not being able to get out of the second round, and then one year the Pens were exhausted, they were no longer the obstacle they once were. And then it kept going.
It can look like no progress is being made without the step-ladder look. The playoffs are a zero-sum game for the Leafs. Either you won the whole thing or you didn't. Do you think it matters where in the calendar you came up short?
The Nation coughs up four straight Game 7s. The Leafs were done by geography. The pretty laughable NHL playoff system dictated that they had to face the Bruins. They lost coin flips because a Game 7 in hockey can be more than one. Losing to the Bruins in the second round or conference final wouldn't really make a difference. No, it wouldn't. It doesn't say anything different than a first round loss does to a really good team.
Even if it was a Carey Price Revival Tour, the balls-up to the Habs can still stick out. Ask the Lightning about the new year.
Saturday night's reverse is nothing more. The far superior conference has the toughest division in hockey. They played the Lightning in the 7th game. They played them seven times. The attempts-share was shaded by the Lightning over seven games. The Bolts had the expected goals share every so often. You can get more coin flip.
If the conference set-up had been straight this year, the Leafs would have played the Bruins. The East had eight teams that scored 100 points. You can leave the East. The location of where you die doesn't really matter.
Hearing that is not comforting to the team or fans. There needs to be something to change to give hope the next time. It is certain that the Leafs come up second in every Game 7 they play. Jack Campbell used to be the goalie, but this time he gave up two goals. He could have been better in the 4th and 6th games, but the efforts of the Leafs made up for it.
The best explanation you can get is that the Leafs have too many good players and the salary cap restricts what they can have on the bottom of the roster. The Caps and the Lightning had similar top sixes when they won, but having too many good players didn't bother them. Dubas can be a navel-gazing genius, but he was able to find some budget saving gems this year. He may need one or two more, or maybe stop wasting spots on vets who can't think or move.
If that is the case, these are moves on the margins. They are a 115-point team in a gauntlet of a division. They were the third best offensive team in terms of expected goals per game. The fourth-best defensive team was them. The regular season is the largest sample size to evaluate.
That isn't enough for everyone in a Clark jersey. They eyeballed the two-time defending sense and passed large judgements over seven games. There has to be something. Something that can be adjusted is what they are missing.
There isn't. The same team will be rolled out next year, and they will be just as likely to beat the Lightning as they are not. Hockey doesn't give a shit about what you think you're entitled to or what makes sense as evidence of progress, so there's no comfort in accepting that. Hockey is often stupid and random and not everyone gets to win. As he waited, he knew that. Many years ago, the Canucks and theFlyers got one look, and haven't been heard from since. At one point, the Sharks were near the top of the table. One looks at a Final again. It's bad to know that sometimes you can't seem to get it right. The last roll of the dice doesn't say anything about the next.
Hockey is not linear. Hockey is not logical. There is no way a game can be so random. That won't stop Leafs Nation from asking questions loudly and making sure we hear them.
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