Turmoil in Toronto
It is round one of the playoffs and there are already tempers flaring amongst the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are playing the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs and things are not looking good for Toronto. The Bruins have a 3-1 lead in the series as they just defeated the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena 3-1 in Game 4 on Saturday Apr. 27. The Leafs now face elimination on the road as Game 5 is headed back to Boston on Tuesday night.
Photo via SportsNet
Since 2016, the Maple Leafs are 8-14 at home in the playoffs. Even last year when they finally got past the first round, they went 1-5 at home. Even though the Florida Panthers did the unthinkable last year coming back 3-1 against the Bruins, the Leafs aren’t looking like a team that can pull out the same miracle. Boston’s forecheck and overall defensive play frustrated Toronto and despite the Maple Leafs being a more offensive-oriented team, their playoff offense in recent memory has been absent.
Toronto’s core four of players in their captain John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Willy Nylander, and Auston Matthews have not been performing like they should be. Nylander had missed the first three games of the series due to an unknown injury and returned for Game 4. Many people have suggested that Marner is dealing with an injury due to his lack of awareness and urgency on the ice. Matthews who had scored 69 goals in the regular season only has one goal in this series. He didn’t return to the ice for the 3rd period in Game 4 because he has supposedly been dealing with some illness. Additionally, Nylander had some choice of words for Marner on the bench, which exposed their frustration and possibly the collapse of the Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are facing many issues right now as they are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs. Many people are questioning the future of the team and if this is the last time, we will see these four players playing with one another. So, will the Bruins take the series in five games, or will the Maple Leafs have an ultimate come back?
