Maple Leafs tie painful NHL record after agonizing Game 7 loss to Bruins

The Maple Leafs seemed poised to pull off a miraculous comeback in the series, winning two games in a row without star Auston Matthews. Toronto dug out of a 3-1 series deficit, to force a seventh game. The offense just wasn’t there in the final battle, as the Leafs managed only that one goal. It was the third time in the seven game series that Toronto could only post one goal against Boston.

“Look I don’t think there’s an issue with the core. I think we were f—ing right there all series. We battled hard and got to Game 7 and OT. It’s a shitty feeling,” Leafs forward William Nylander said, per The Athletic.

The Leafs dodged injuries throughout the series. Nylander missed the first three games due to an injury, and then star center Auston Matthews went down during Game 4 with an illness. The Leafs got Matthews back for Game 7, but the offense wasn’t able to ignite. The Toronto offense stalled out in the playoffs, after scoring the second-most goals in hockey during the regular season. Only the Colorado Avalanche had more goals during the year than Toronto.

The frustrations seemed to spill out for the Leafs. During Game 4, team members were seen yelling at year other on the bench. While the club did manage to rebound, the Leafs’ defense wasn’t strong enough to come out with the series. Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsanov put up a valiant effort in net, with 29 saves for the Leafs in Game 7.

The Leafs will have to find out how to turn the tide. The club has 13 Stanley Cup Championships, but haven’t clinched one in more than 50 years. The team also has been bounced early in each league season going back to 2016-17. It has certainly been extremely frustrating to be a Maple Leafs fan.

The Bruins now move on to the next round of the NHL playoffs. Boston takes on the Florida Panthers, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday at 8:00 Eastern.