Toronto Maple Leafs have chance to do something they haven't done in 38 years
The Toronto Maple Leafs could accomplish something that the team hasn’t done in 38 years.
After failing to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Florida Panthers, courtesy of a Brad Marchand OT winner in Game 3, opportunity is still ripe for the Leafs. They can push the defending Stanley Cup champions to the brink of elimination in Sunrise, Florida on Sunday night.
This would put the Maple Leafs just a single win away from advancing to their first Eastern Conference Final since 2002. It would also mark the first time they jumped out to a demanding 3-1 series lead in the second round since doing so against the Detroit Red Wings back during the 1987 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
All they have to do is find a way to steal Game 4 on the road.
If they manage to get past the Panthers and take that 3-1 series lead, they will be hoping to have much better luck than their 1987 counterparts. Though that iteration managed to take a stranglehold on their series, the Leafs eventually blew that lead, losing the next three to Detroit and being eliminated in seven games.
Leafs fans are hoping that this version of the team is a bit more battle-tested after having experienced plenty of playoff heartbreak over the past couple of years. One of which was blowing a similar lead to the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs.
As for the last time they reached the Conference Final, things didn’t go as planned. The Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in the second round back in 2002, but lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes. A rematch between those two teams could be brewing as the Hurricanes currently hold a 2-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals.
If you wanna look way too far ahead, the hockey world is also keeping a keen eye on the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. If the Leafs can get the job done this year and advance to the Stanley Cup Final, as well as one of the Jets or Oilers, we could be facing down our first all-Canadian Final since 1989, when the Calgary Flames defeated the Canadiens.
Puck drop for Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and Panthers is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT.