When the Pittsburgh Penguins were officially eliminated from the 2023 NHL Playoffs, it ended their streak of 16 consecutive years in the postseason. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins now share the longest active playoff streak, which currently stands at seven consecutive years.
Over those seven years, there have been a lot of emotions for Leafs Nation. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, they have failed to advance past the first round in all seven of those years. Furthermore, they haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since the “Salary Cap Era” started which was 2005-06. However, Toronto does have the best team we have seen as fans since 2005-06 and is set to face a weaker opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning. So, let’s take a look at the last six playoff runs the Maple Leafs have been on, and how they ended.
Start of the Matthews’ Era
The start of Auston Matthews’ era in Toronto was phenomenal. It started when he scored four goals in one game against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 12, 2016. That carried forward to when the Leafs clinched their first postseason berth since 2013. However, they did draw a tough opponent in the first round, the experienced Washington Capitals. The Capitals were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Maple Leafs were in the second wild card spot. Which meant they needed to get past both Washington and Pittsburgh in the first two rounds. Although the Capitals had Alex Ovechkin and company, Toronto tried their hardest and pushed five of the six games in the series to overtime (OT).
The Maple Leafs lost the first game of the series 3-2 in OT, but battled back and won Game 2 4-2 in double OT. They went back to Toronto with the series tied at a game a piece. They somehow managed to steal Game 3 4-2 in OT and took a 2-1 series lead. Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs lost the next three games, 5-4, 2-1 in OT, and 2-1 in OT respectively. Sadly for the Leafs Nation, the playoffs came to an end, in only six games. This wasn’t ideal, however, it was a step in the right direction for a young core that had great potential.
Seven Games Against Boston
After a 49-26-7 record, the Maple Leafs once again punched their ticket to the 2018 NHL Playoffs. However, this time they drew their arch-enemy; the Boston Bruins. The Bruins dramatically eliminated the Leafs during the 2013 Playoffs, with a dramatic comeback in Game 7. This was the time for Toronto to finally get revenge but sadly they didn’t. Boston started the series strong, winning the first two games 5-1 and 7-3. This left many in Leafs Nation worried that they would see yet another dismantling of the club at the hands of the Bruins. The Leafs battled back to take Game 3 4-2, but lost Game 4, however, would go on to win Games 5 and 6, 4-3 and 3-1, forcing a Game 7.
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The dreaded Game 7 against the team that got the best of them in 2013 put a lot of pressure on the Maple Leafs’ players. Unfortunately, Leafs Nation is all too familiar with the outcome of that Game 7 in 2017, as the Bruins handed Toronto yet another loss, with a final score of 7-4. There was a lot of potential around the team and their core but they just couldn’t find that “killer instinct” to put the game away.
Seven Games Against Boston, Again
After a long offseason, and the signing of star forward John Tavares, the boys in blue were back for another season. They finished it with a record of 46-28-8 and clinched their third straight playoff berth. The playoff matchups were set and the Maple Leafs drew the Bruins for the second straight year. This series wasn’t like the one in 2018 though, as Toronto showed that they had grown from the previous year. They won Game 1 4-1, but Boston took Game 2 4-1. After that, the teams went back and forth splitting the series three games apiece, forcing yet another Game 7.
This Game 7 was the second consecutive one for the Maple Leafs so they should have been able to use that to their advantage. Unfortunately, the Game 7 demons were too much for them, and they took yet another loss in the first round. Boston came out on top in the final game 5-1, bringing yet another strong season by the Maple Leafs to an end.
The Bubble Year
2020 is a year that no one will forget, as March 11, 2020, was the day that the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB all put their leagues on hold for the safety of everyone around the world. The NHL and NBA both decided on doing the playoffs in a bubble so there was no risk to the players. The NHL hosted their bubble playoffs in both Toronto, Ontario for the Eastern Conference teams and Edmonton, Alberta for the Western Conference teams. Due to the stoppage, the season was shortened. The Maple Leafs went 36-25-9 and had a best-of-five Qualifying Round matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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In a series that most experts thought the Maple Leafs would dominate, the Blue Jackets put up a fight. The series went back and forth, Toronto was shut out 2-0 in Game 1 and then shut out Columbus in Game 2 3-0. They split Games 3 and 4 both winning 4-3 in overtime, which included a three-goal comeback win by the Maple Leafs to force a Game 5.
Unfortunately, Game 5 history repeated itself, and the Maple Leafs fell short in another series-clinching game. The Blue Jackets outworked and outplayed Toronto and went on to beat them 3-0 to advance to the next round of the bubble playoffs. As for the Maple Leafs, their playoff demons continued and their “win-now” window became one year shorter.
Original Six Rivalry
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL needed to shift the 2019-20 season, and the same was done for the 2021 NHL season. The NHL had to realign the four divisions to eliminate cross-border travel. As a result, all seven Canadian teams were put together in the “North Division”, which paved the way for the Maple Leafs to have the best path to the Stanley Cup Final. After a 56-game shortened season, they went 35-14-7 which was good enough to win the division. In the first round, the Leafs drew their biggest rival in NHL history; the Montreal Canadiens.
In a season deemed their year, the Maple Leafs were thought to breeze past Montreal in the first round. After losing Game 1 2-1, Toronto took over, winning the next three games and was in control of the series 3-1. They had the Canadiens on the brink of elimination, but could they close out a series for the first time since the Matthews era started? Sadly no, the Canadiens went on to win Games 5, 6, and 7 and were handed their fifth-straight first-round loss. This left many members of Leafs Nation questioning how they managed to blow the series lead and fail to close out one of Game 5 or 6 that went into OT. This series loss may have been the hardest one to take, because of the hope that surrounded the team, and how close they were to finally getting past the first round.
Seven Games Against the Defending Champs
The 2021-22 season was finally the year that the NHL returned to normal. The conferences and divisions were as per usual, and the season was 82 games long. The Maple Leafs went 54-21-7, setting a record for most wins in a season in franchise history. They drew the two-time defending Cup champions; Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. A series that was expected to be very aggressive, and prove that the Maple Leafs could compete alongside the NHL’s best teams.
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The series started dramatically, Maple Leafs forward Kyle Clifford threw a hit on Lightning forward Ross Colton which led to Clifford receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct. However, that didn’t stop Toronto, they dominated Tampa and won 5-0 to take Game 1. After that, much like every other series in the last five years, it went back and forth. The teams split the series 3-3 and yet again, there was another Game 7 for the Maple Leafs. This one, however, was probably the most anticipated, pressure-filled Game 7 for Toronto’s core. Unfortunately, they couldn’t live up to that pressure and lost the game 2-1, which left questions about who would be moved during the offseason to try and change the culture.
After yet another long offseason, the Maple Leafs decided to bet on themselves and bring back all the members of the core. Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas also entered the 2022-23 season without an extension in place for 2023-24. This begs the question, is this his last season? Or can he guide the team in the direction of finally having playoff success? Well, if the 2023 Trade Deadline was any indication it proves that he went all-in to help this team win.
He acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues as well as Sam Lafferty and Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks. Two power moves that should help the Maple Leafs make a long playoff run. He also acquired Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks, and Erik Gustafsson from the Washington Capitals, without giving up major members of the team. Finally, he parted ways with both Rasmus Sandin and Pierre Engvall to reshape the bottom six and add more defensive depth.
It is no secret that Leafs Nation is waiting to blow the roof off of the Scotiabank Arena when the Maple Leafs finally make a strong run at the Stanley Cup. It appears that this could be the year it happens. They have drawn the Lightning again in the first round, who come in struggling since the turn of the calendar. The additions that they made this season have seemed to fit into the team’s system nicely and could push them past the first round with ease.
Only time will tell what happens in the 2023 NHL Playoffs, however, with the positivity surrounding the team going in, it could be the year that the Maple Leafs make a strong run at Lord Stanley’s mug.
