New York. Another season at the Toronto Maple Leafs is coming to a sad end.
The Blue and White Stars also lost the duel of the night against the Florida Miracle Cats, in overtime, and are now in an impossible 0-3 deficit.
– But we have to keep believing, says superstar Auston Matthews after the 3-2 strike without sounding too convincing.
Tossing between happiness and despair can be fleeting and heartbreaking during a Stanley Cup playoff game.
This past weekend, pure carnival acid reigned supreme in Toronto. Then the Maple Leafs won their first playoff run in 19 years, against Tampa, and their massive fan base felt confident that the path to massive success was open.
It only happened four times
Now, just a week later, the euphoric rush has turned into pure misery.
Because after two bitter losses at home in the quarter to the Florida Panthers, they also lost the third round of the night at FLA Live in Sunrise and that means they are once again on edge.
Only four times in Stanley Cup history have teams come back from 0-3 down – and they played a much more inspired game than the Maple Leafs played tonight.
Although he barely created any chances and although goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov was injured early in the second half, leaving the inexperienced Josef Wall to take charge, they somehow managed to force their way to a full-time equalizer – after the match’s first goal from Sweden. Defender Erik Gustafsson.
“A difficult situation”
But the extension only lasted three minutes before Sam Reinhart could make it 3-2 to Florida – with a cheeky shot down the so-called kitchen path.
– We are definitely in a difficult situation, life or death in the next match, but we cannot give up. Superstar Auston Matthews says: We have to continue to believe in ourselves and what we do.
Coach Sheldon Cave has the same thoughts.
– I still believe in this group, but now we have to focus on one game at a time. He says it’s up to us to make it uncomfortable for them and refuse to disappear.
However, it seems difficult to do anything at all for the Panthers. They’ve now won six straight games and are navigating a hurricane-like tailwind.
We are gaining more and more confidence all the time. Everyone rocks the big moments, says Reinhart, the night’s champion.
William Nylander assisted in the goal of his compatriot Gustafsson.