The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in unexpected trouble. When I was thinking about how they got to where they got to, (being an old man), it reminded me of a TV show I watched as a little kid in the 1950s called Life of Riley.
On this show, a fictional character named Chester A. Reilly, played by William Bendix, often uses a catchphrase to express his frustration or exasperation at the various situations in which he finds himself. “What a sickening development” was the phrase.
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Maple Leaf finds itself in a disgusting twist
The Maple Leafs find themselves in an unexpected situation – a disgusting twist, so to speak. After winning the first round of the postseason playoffs, the Monkeys should have been off the team’s back. They finally exorcise the demons and overcome Harold Ballard’s curse.
Well, maybe not. Moving on to the second round, the team faced major challenges instead of going about their business smoothly. They are now sitting three games to zero. Suddenly questions were raised about both their performance and the team’s future for staying together as a team.
Four maple leaf face issues
Problem one: Again, after a strong regular season, poor performance
The Maple Leafs have been known as a great team in the regular season. They win a lot of games in the regular season but are having a hard time in the post-season. This reputation still exists.
Despite a strong regular season, the Maple Leafs have failed to find success when it matters most. Their fans and even their critics are frankly baffled.
Version two: In a must-win game, no one shows up on time
The third match was a disappointment for Blue and White. They are not just defeated. But, after a nice little jump start at the start of the game, they fold their tents.
In truth, probably no one would be happy that a team would lose – even if it played well. But the way the team lost outraged and frustrated their fans. The team’s best players – the Core Four – didn’t just have a night off, but had a series of games.
After a strong first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they simply didn’t score — as evidenced by the tweet above. Their poor standard of play compounded the fans’ disappointment.
Number three: Maple leaf stars are not the same as oiler stars
Given that both the Maple Leafs (with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews) and Edmonton Oilers (with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid) are star-driven, it’s hard not to compare the two teams. This postseason, such comparisons only further frustrate fans.
Until Monday night, even when the Oilers lost, their stars showed up and they were their stars. In a 5-1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, neither Draistel nor McDavid scored a point and both hold minus 2 away from the game.
However, this rarely happens. Even in defeat, the Oilers’ stars, McDavid and Draisaitl, consistently perform at the top of their games. This is not true of Maple Leafs. This contrast further highlights the importance of the team’s key players rising to the occasion.
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Issue four: The Maple Leafs caught us all off guard
No one expected the sky to fall so suddenly. Maple Leaf dug a hole for itself so quickly that few saw it coming. The three-game deficit to nothing caught us by surprise. The unpredictable nature of the team’s current funk suddenly – once again – raises questions about the team’s direction and the potential changes they are likely to make.
bottom line
The Maple Leafs will play Game 4 on Wednesday night. As they do, the expectation of a negative outcome continues to balloon into a huge wave. Now, how Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe makes decisions becomes crucial to the team’s immediate fate.
Whatever Keefe does, he displays it. His every move and mistake would be magnified. The only way to get out of the hot seat is to win four matches in a row. But this is hard work.
We’ll see if the team can win the first four on Wednesday night.
Related: 4 changes are in sight if the maple leaves fall in the second round