Talk about a tale of two cities. Game three, the Maple Leafs found themselves up by three midway through the third. All the Maple Leafs have to do is tighten up a little in the defensive zone. The forwards come back to help the defence, and the defence doesn't panic, taking the man instead of the puck. So what happens the forwards spend too much time trying to score, throw the puck away, and everyone runs around like a chicken with its head cut off? Sloppy play. The forward's hands turn into stone, the defence's legs turn to rubber, and bing bang a Maple Leaf special, and the Jackets win 4-3 in overtime.
Remarkably this is not new; the cycle of life of a Maple Leaf fan is born. The simple fact is that the leaders of this team, Reilly, Tavaras, Matthews, and Marner, have to settle this team down when they have leads. It is ok slow down the pace. An old friend of mine said it this way: you have to play to win, not to lose. Too many times, the Maple Leafs have played not to lose instead of to win.
Change the scene. You would think the Jackets would learn from the Maple Leafs' mistakes. One of the greatest assets you can have is learning from other people's mistakes. The Jackets have a 3-0 with four minutes left in the third when suddenly the Jackets turn into the Keystone Cops*. The Maple Leafs score three goals in the four minutes to tie the game. Then, of course, Matthews tops it off in overtime. Yes, the Leafs have an explosive offensive team, making no lead is safe. The ability to come back from deficits is a valuable asset. The helter-skelter play won the Leafs this game. The Leafs have enough firepower to win any game.
Watching the Maple Leafs play this kind of hockey in the last two games can be dangerous to our health, so my advice is to eat healthy. You don't need the dangers of your physical health matching your mental health.
*Keystone Cops:
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