This was the biggest game in franchise history in 23 years. With a victory in Game 7 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round, Toronto would reach the conference final for the first time since 2002, when they faced the Carolina Hurricanes.
Yet, with the series tied 3-3, the Maple Leafs were dominated on home ice yet again, much like they were in their 6-1 loss in Game 5 on Wednesday when a frustrated spectator finally had enough and chucked a Matthews No. 34 jersey on the ice.
You can understand where the anger of the crowd was coming from. The five-goal loss tied the biggest goal differential in a Game 7 in NHL history, according to NHL Stats.
Indeed, the Maple Leafs came into this contest having lost six consecutive Game 7s, including five with Matthews, Marner, forward William Nylander and defenseman Morgan Rielly in the lineup.
This was their chance to finally change the narrative.
They did anything but.
On a night when Scotiabank Arena was uncommonly oozing with energy and emotion leading to the opening face-off, Toronto perplexingly came out stale and found itself being outshot 5-0 just 6:30 into the game.
In the second period, the Maple Leafs were down 3-0 and ended up being loudly booed off the ice for the intermission, much like was the case in Game 5. With good reason too.
How bad were they?
According to Sportsnet Stats, the Maple Leafs’ 75 shot attempts allowed to that point were the most by any team this season through two periods, either in the regular season or the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto’s lackadaisical effort continued in the third, so much so that Marner’s anger boiled over to the point where he yelled to his teammates on the bench: “Wake the [bleep] up!”
They didn’t.
And it resulted in another Game 7 in which he and Matthews were held off the score sheet. In fact, in their six Game 7s played, Marner and Matthews have combined for zero goals.
Zero.
That’s the same number of goals that you, as a reader, have scored in those games.
For his part, Matthews said he had no answers why the Maple Leafs were so flat.
“I thought the first 10 minutes they came out strong,” he said. “And the next 10 minutes I thought we controlled play.”
After that?
“We had too many passengers,” he said.
He could put himself on that list.
The question is: Why?
The facts are blatant. In 12 career postseason games against the Panthers, he has one goal, that being the game-winner in Game 6. It was one of just four goals the Maple Leafs scored in the final four games of the series against Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
Despite all the so-called offensive firepower the Maple Leafs have in their lineup, they have won just two postseason matchups in 21 years. The Matthews-Marner-Nylander-Rielly foursome is 2-9 in playoff series since they started playing together in 2016.
Maybe that, more than anything, is an indication that it’s time to break up the band.
If Marner chooses to leave on the open market, there will be no shortage of bidders. He could command a price of more than $13 million per season, a reasonable ask for one of the NHL’s top offensive players who has 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games.
Tavares' situation is different. He wants to stay. He’s made that clear. What isn’t so evident is if the Maple Leafs want to retain the services of a 34-year-old who, although coming off a 74-point season (38 goals, 36 assists), definitely is starting to lose a step.
In the seven seasons since he left the New York Islanders to join the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2018, he’s had at least 26 goals in all but one of those. And yet, the one thing eluding him has been a deep playoff run, making him a candidate to be a casualty of a roster that obviously needs changes.
“It’s meant everything to me,” Tavares said of being a Maple Leaf. “You know, it was a big decision I made seven years ago, and I’ve loved it. It’s been amazing for me and my family.
“So, you know, just accept responsibility. We haven’t been able to come through and play well enough to get to where we want to get to.”
Would you like to be back, he was asked again.
“Yes.”
Whether he and Marner actually will be, well, that remains to be seen.
In any event, something has to change.
Because the Maple Leafs’ shortcomings in Game 7s, when the stage is set to take the next step, certainly hasn’t.
