Why have the Maple Leafs lost another series? The Bruins are simply better.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. It’s the playoffs, and the Toronto Maple Leafs did not arrive on time. They temporarily got started with an attacking outburst, but then came the dumb penalties, defensive gaffes, and the non-existent massive save when it was most needed.
Now they’re humiliated, disorganized, and staring over their shoulders at ghosts.I started my column following a 7-2 loss in Game 1 of last year’s playoffs in front of the same people who booed them off the ice on Saturday.
So, yeah, you have heard it in some form or another, both from me and others. But this time, I don’t need you to stop me; I’m stopping myself.
After a 3-1 series loss at home to the Boston Bruins, I plan to do the opposite. I’m pausing on all of the Maple Leafs stories we’ve heard over the past couple years.
You know the ones: the Leafs aren’t motivated enough. The not-so-young core is wealthy and entitled. The leaders and coaches aren’t sending the appropriate message, and if they do, no one is listening.
You need all-star numbers in January; they’ve got you covered, but if you need a heart-and-soul move that can tip the scales, look elsewhere. No killer instinct. They don’t show up, don’t start on time, and aren’t interested in playing big kid hockey in the postseason.
Sure. Some of this could be real. Perhaps all of it.But maybe that doesn’t matter, at least not now. Maybe the Bruins are simply superior.
After all, they were better in the regular season, losing 26 points from their President’s Trophy-winning 2022–23 season but still finishing comfortably ahead of the Leafs.
They also performed better head-to-head during the season, winning all four matches without trailing. They were better throughout the majority of Game 1, lengthy chunks of Game 2, key moments in Game 3, and nearly all of Game 4 on Saturday night.
How the Maple Leafs went from bad to worse in Game 4: 5 takeaways throughout. There is a trend here. We’re used to referring to the Leafs as a powerhouse, at least during the regular season, as if their undeniable top-end ability requires them to remain an elite club regardless of their record.
However, this team narrowly made the top ten this year. They were the Atlantic’s third-best club, never seriously contending for even a round of home ice advantage.
Now the playoffs have begun, and they will face a club that finished ahead of them. Four games in, the difference is plain and huge, and it appears that all that remains is the inevitable conclusion on Tuesday.
There’s a simple explanation for this, and it has nothing to do with passion, competition, or anything else. The Bruins appear better because they are.
They are more experienced. They are better coached. They have considerably superior goaltending by a mile; we all knew that, even though you never know how much it will matter in a short series.
They have the better blue line, as we all predicted, even though the Leafs’ deadline depth was supposed to help.
