cautious optimism
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Bobcat’s Post Game Notes, Leafs Edition
Round 1, Game 6
Leafs lose, 4-3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
-This is it. This game is pretty much going to decide the series. If the Leafs win, series over. If the Lightning win, they force a Game 7, and we know the history between Toronto and Game 7s.
-It also doesn’t help that tomorrow er is the 9 year anniversary of the 4-1 game. Don’t let it haunt you, boys. SWEEP THE GODDAMN LEG. FINISH THEM!
-One of the talking points before the game started that the Leafs should focus on is surviving the first 10 minutes of the first period. To quote Jim Ralph, “if they survive the first 10, it’s a victory for the Leafs.” I believe it. Game 4 was a massacre because of their slow start. They didn’t survive the first 10, and that damned them to an embarrassing 7-3 loss.
-A great scoring chance ends up… in the netting and out of play? David Kampf had a good shot at it but it bounced off of the top of his stick and off of Brayden Point and out. I don’t know if that was an unlucky play for Kampf or a lucky play for the Lightning.
-Jack Campbell makes an airborne save! I didn’t even see it but I want it on a poster.
-Well, there’s a first: I have heard a radio announcer swear for the first time too season. Joe Bowen spoke too damn soon. 4-on-4 play.
-The Leafs almost played a perfect first period until Alex Kerfoot made an errant pass allegedly to TJ Brodie that went directly to Ondrej Palat, who wrists it blocker side past Jack. That’s a Dang-It in its purest form.
-They end the first period on the penalty kill. Not fun.
-A brief aside: While I was scrolling through Twitter during first intermission, I figured out that someone made a Twitter account with the handle of @IsSteveDangleOk. That’s just hilarious.
-ANOTHER COSTLY TURNOVER. What the hell are we doing? Why are we being so careless with passes and zone entrances?
-Number 34 puts the Leafs on the board! Auston Matthews gets a deflection off of a Mark Giordano shot past Vasilevskiy. We’re back to within one!
-Now THAT’S what the f*ck I’m talking about. Captain John sends us to 2nd intermission happy, first tying the game and then putting them ON TOP, 3-2. This second period was beyond flawless.
-Wait, scratch that: Jason Spezza got a piece of that as it went in. I don’t know if that would be considered a high-stick but I can see an argument as to why people would think that: the shaft of his stick was level with the crossbar.
-The Leafs are playing some really good defense so far in the 3rd period. Knock on wood, fingers crossed, they can hold on to this and end the memes. My heart is beginning to pound.
-IF THEY WIN THIS GAME, IT’S BECAUSE OF THIS SAVE. JACK CAMPBELL SHOOS THE PUCK OUT OF THE CREASE WITH 6 INCHES OF ICE BETWEEN THE PUCK AND THE GOAL LINE. NO. SOUP. FOR. YOU.
-Cal Foote may win an Oscar for the way he’s selling these penalties. David Kampf goes off for “high sticking.” THAT DIDN’T EVEN F*CKING TOUCH HIM.
-AND ANOTHER NON-HIGH-STICK. This is something new: when the Lightning have their backs against the wall, they start to dive. They didn’t do this in the last two playoff runs. Now it’s a 5-on-3. This is not good. This is very not good.
-Tie game. That was TOTAL BS. Neither of those high-sticks should have been called high-sticks.
-And now the game is going into overtime-WE SHOULDN’T F*CKING BE IN THIS SITUATION.
-Alex Killorn should have gone off for holding there. He basically wakeboarded off of the back of Auston Matthews’ jersey for a good FIVE SECONDS, AND NO GODDAMN CALL. That was the most egregious penalty all series, AND THE REFS SWALLOWED THEIR WHISTLES ON IT. WHY?
-…Game over. Brayden Point scores with around two minutes left in first overtime. The Leafs outplayed them all overtime long, and one mistake loses them the game.
We’re going to a 7th game. Because that’s the way it has to be. This is the Leafs, after all. But, contrary to the last few playoff series, the Leafs have home-ice advantage for Game 7, with a packed house. They have a marginally better chance of winning Game 7 than the last few times. Get it done, boys.