So much of this series was utter horseshit. From Nylander getting debilitating migraines after playing all 82 regular season games, to Matthews getting severe food poisoning, to Woll carrying us to Game 7 and then waking up with “stiffness” on the day of, and of course to the ridiculously unlucky bounce that led to the OT winner. Officiating was better than in past series, but even there, Boston got the edge in PPs in the deciding game (of course they did).
At the same time, the fact is that they didn’t lose Game 1 because Nylander wasn’t playing and they didn’t lose Game 4 because Matthews wasn’t playing. They did not show up in 2 games in a best-of-7. They put themselves down 3-1 in the series. They were 1/21 on the PP and only marginally better on the PK. They even had the lead midway through the 3rd period in this game and managed to give it up (naturally to the JVR and Brazeau line). They made themselves vulnerable to one bullshit bounce and that bounce ended their season and ultimately should end this core’s time together (it should have ended two years ago).
Because if you didn’t know this team, if you brought a movie script of this series to a producer, that producer would dismiss it out of hand: It is just not beleafable that a team would suffer such a sequence of misfortunes. But we know this team, we know who they are, and we know that they have an unparalleled ability to find ways to lose big games and to lose series. If you’re surprised, you’re not a Leafs fan. Such a shame to have wasted an era that began with such promise.
