The Leafs Will Lose to Lightning in Four

Susan Grahm
April 19, 2023, 1:25 a.m.
Posted in Sports


Last night was the first game of an NHL playoff series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. The result was far from surprising to hockey fans; the Leafs fell in an embarrassing 7-3 loss.

If you haven’t been paying attention, this result is nothing new for Toronto. The Leafs have been a joke for over a decade, not winning a playoff series since 2004. For context, the Buffalo Sabres (a team Leafs fans enjoy hating on) last won a playoff series in 2007.

Every year the story is the same.

The NHL propaganda network known as TSN hypes up the Leafs team starting in October. Fans exclaim the drought is over, that it’s finally time for Toronto to shine. This year the Leafs even acquired Sabres legend Ryan O’Reilly at the trade deadline. O’Reilly tried his best yesterday, but soon realized how pathetic Toronto truly was.

Every playoff season the Leafs tend to disappear. Supposed stars like Mathews and Tavares turn ineffective and the team goes soft. Community figures have suggested that they need to trade their talent for draft picks and rebuild.
 

In my opinion the only option is to relocate to a different city. The clearest choice is Syracuse. The city is very close to Toronto, meaning current Leaf fans would have an easy transition to the new team. Syracuse would provide an exciting fresh start for the franchise. However, due to the strength of the NHL propaganda networks this is unlikely to happen.

Many fans of both teams pointed out the immense number of penalties during the game last night. Critics claim that a man known as Mr. Hockey is rigging the results. While I agree that many NHL games are rigged in favor of Toronto, I’m not convinced yesterday was one of them. I noticed far too many penalties on both sides, often benefiting Tampa. This is a problem all too common throughout the NHL in recent years. The league needs to decrease penalties and bring back fighting or I fear the sport is likely to slowly die off.
 

So, what are the chances of the Leafs making a comeback? After blowing their home game the odds are slim to none. Considering they got blown out playing at full potential, I doubt they will win a single game. This is especially true as legends such as Tom Brady and Jake Paul have shown continued support for the lightning. At this point Leaf fans are already looking towards the next season.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, the 2024 playoffs don’t look any easier. If they do make the playoffs again, chances are the team will face off against the Buffalo Sabres. Beating the Sabres will not be easy, especially considering next year is the start of their dynasty. If the Leafs can’t handle Tampa, they won’t be able to handle the power of Kulich and Tage Thompson.

In conclusion, the Toronto Maple Leafs have 3 games remaining in the season. Thank God we won’t have to witness this atrocity for much longer.

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