Maple Leafs look to exorcise playoff demons, advance for 1st time in 18 years

The Toronto Maple Leafs are aiming to do something on Thursday night that hasn’t happened for the franchise in 18 years — advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The franchise has had eight prior opportunities to close out a first-round series since the second round drought began in 2004, including three failed attempts against the Montreal Canadiens last year where they held a 3-1 series lead.

“It’s obviously been a challenge for us to close out series,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “But it’s one that we believe our team has worked for all season and has had that attitude to rise to challenges.”

Another daunting statistic for the Leafs, their opponents have not lost two straight games at any point during their last three playoff runs, which include Stanley Cup wins the last two years. The Tampa Bay Lightning are 16-0 coming off a post-season loss during that stretch.

The Maple Leafs have A Past. A vast one, sure, but they have a more recent past of squandering pivotal opportunities. That reputation, as @jtbourne writes, should, for once, help them in Game 6.https://t.co/wzWGERzXy0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 11, 2022

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper first appeared to downplay the contrasting history of the two teams, but hinted that his group may have the psychological advantage.

“We just can’t go out there and throw our sticks on the ice and say ‘well these guys haven’t won in the past, it’s ours,’ but they’re humans too, it’s not like they haven’t thought about this,” says Cooper.

“Until you start winning these games, there’s always going to be doubt in your mind.”

The Leafs hope the narrative shift began when they stormed back against the defending champs for a thrilling Game 5 on Tuesday night. A promising development for the Leafs, the team’s top stars all answered the call in the comeback win with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Reilly, all contributing in key moments.

“There was great desperation from the group. I loved the response,” said veteran forward Jason Spezza.

When the team was down 2-0 after a dismal first period on Tuesday, it was Spezza who rallied the troops during the intermission.

When the Maple Leafs filed into the dressing room sullen and trailing Tuesday, the eldest among them piped up and changed the course of the game. Fourth-line and occasional healthy-scratch status be damned.@lukefoxjukebox recounts The Spezza Speech. ⬇https://t.co/qTuc0SM55u

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 11, 2022

“He’s been through a lot, he’s seen a lot, he also knows he doesn’t have a lot of time left so he’s all in,” said Keefe.

Spezza was also seen talking to goalie Jack Campbell after Tampa took a quick 2-0 lead in the first.

“He’s such a leader for everyone,” Campbell says. “When he talks, everybody listens.”

The team may be playing miles away on Thursday but there will still be a huge crowd gathered outside Scotiabank Arena at Maple Leafs Square. Entry to the tailgate party was booked up shortly after the Game 5 win.

The puck will drop for Game 6 shortly after 7:30 p.m. Game 7, if necessary, would be back in Toronto on Saturday.

With files from The Canadian Press