Beantown Beatdown: Leafs Lose in Game 7 OT to Bruins

It was going so well for The Toronto Maple Leafs — beyond expectations. In their first playoff series in nine years, they led the Boston Bruins by three goals in the third period in Game 7 of their matchup. Yes, the Leafs gave up goals at 9:18 and at 18:38, but all they had to do was find a way to keep the puck out of their own net for another 82 seconds and they would advance to the second round.

They couldn’t do it.

Patrice Bergeron capped a furious final minute of regulation time with a goal at 19:09 to tie the game at 4 goals each, then he broke the heart of Leaf Nation with another tally at 6:05 of overtime to send Boston into a celebratory frenzy, and Leafs fans into despair. The Bruins outshot the Leafs 22-8 during the third period and in extra time, but that’s not surprising: Toronto, after all, scored the first two goals of what many thought would be the final period, and then concentrated on protecting their 4-1 lead.

Now supporters of the Blue and White are left to wonder what happened. The collapse was nothing short of epic: the statisticians at the Elias Sports Bureau say this was the first time an NHL team has ever won a Game 7 after falling behind by three goals in the third period. Now it’s been added to the list of pro sports disappointments Toronto has endured over the years.

This looked like it would be Phil Kessel’s opportunity to rewrite history. The winger had been a target of derision by the Boston fans since he was traded to Toronto in 2009 for Toronto’s next two first-round draft picks. Kessel scored a goal and added an assist in Game 7, and it appeared to be enough. In the end, it wasn’t.

Goaltender James Reimer had kept the Buds in the series after Toronto had been pushed to the brink of elimination. In Games 5 and 6, he allowed only three goals on 74 shots, then he let in only one goal on 16 shots through the first two periods of Game 7. It appeared to be enough: in the end, it wasn’t.

What can be said, in the end? Toronto tried, and they looked like they had it wrapped up, but Boston bested them. The Vancouver Canucks have first-hand experience of this: back in 2010, all they had to do was win Game 7 and they would bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time in almost 20 years — in the end, they lost to Boston 4-0 on home ice. Now the Bruins have shattered Canadian dreams again in a Game 7. They were the better team then, and they are now.

All that remains for fans of the NHL in Canada now is to pin their hopes on the Ottawa Senators to go deep into the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Leafs are left to lick their wounds, answer questions and dodge recriminations. Yes, they broke their playoff jinx, and at times they looked really good. In the end, it wasn’t enough.