In Toronto, the captain`s actions spoke louder than his words.
Following a costly power-play turnover by Auston Matthews that led to a short-handed goal, sealing the Toronto Maple Leafs` fate in Game 5 against the Ottawa Senators, the frustrated captain forcefully snapped his stick on the bench. Then he discarded the expensive pieces.
It was a visible display of the playoff frustration that has marked his career, especially in elimination games.
To break free from this frustrating cycle – this core group`s puzzling 1-13 record in series-clinching opportunities – they must move past their mistakes and the stick that symbolized the loss.
They need to pick up a new stick and make it count.
We’re not looking in the rearview mirror. It’s about the next day, next game,
Matthews stated after the 4-0 loss on Tuesday. We’re in a good spot here.
The playoffs are a roller coaster,
he added. There will be highs and lows, and the key is to remain as even-keel as possible.
While the NHL officially called Tuesday`s event at Scotiabank Arena `Game 5,` it was more accurately dubbed the `Narrative Game.`
The `different this time` Maple Leafs stepped onto the ice knowing the night would end with one of two outcomes and their corresponding headlines: Leafs Clinch! or Leafs Clench!
A single play, a single detail makes all the difference. It`s a game of inches.
Your top players need to perform at their best… well, you know the drill.
We had our looks. Didn’t capitalize on them,
Mitch Marner commented. That’s how it goes sometimes.
In this city, and with this specific group of star players, even a favorable situation like a 3-2 series lead with home-ice advantage (and no significant injuries or suspensions) can still be viewed with suspicion. This is due to past failures and some underwhelming performances from the team`s top talent and power play.
Although the minus-4 rating for the Matthews and Marner line on Tuesday was inflated by two empty-net goals in garbage time, both key players have been less impactful since the opportunity to close out the series arose.
Coach Craig Berube assessed their play: Not enough speed through the neutral zone with that line, which affected their ability to create in the offensive zone off that.
He continued, Like, they were just a little bit late on things, and didn’t create enough stoppages in the offensive zone. It was one-and-done too much for me with that line tonight in the offensive zone.
