For two days, experts and fans predicted the defeat of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Friday`s game. The speculation and doubt loomed large over the team`s fate.
Following a crushing 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and the entire Maple Leafs roster faced intense public backlash. Their performance was so poor that even the opposing coach felt compelled to defend them.
“They got killed for that last game,” Paul Maurice said late Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena. “They didn’t deserve to, in my opinion.”
However, by virtue of their tenacious, patient, and determined play, culminating in a hard-fought 2-0 road victory in Game 6, Matthews, Marner, and their teammates have rightfully earned a second opportunity in this series.
They have a chance to transform the disappointment and boos from Wednesday into roaring cheers on Sunday.
Facing elimination for the first time this spring, with the score deadlocked at 0-0 deep into the third period – specifically, 46 minutes and 20 seconds into what felt like the potential final game of their current era – Matthews and Marner collaborated to create the pivotal moment.
It was the Moment.
