The Randy Carlyle-fueled Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t get embarrassed against the Boston Bruins like the Ron Wilson model, but they still left tonight’s game empty-handed. The Bruins won a bruising battle 5-4 to take a 5-0 advantage in the two teams’ wildly one-sided season series.
Considering the fact that the previous four contests carried a whopping 23-6 goal differential, it’s easy to call the Buds’ effort more respectable. Still, their fans might look back at this mismatch with added bitterness if Toronto misses the playoffs by a small margin.
It’s possible that the Maple Leafs lost more than just the game, too. James Mirtle reports that Joffrey Lupul and Colby Armstrong’s equipment wasn’t removed from the Leafs’ locker room, which implies that both forwards might be unavailable for Wednesday’s contest against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
That’s a rough home debut, especially since moral victories just aren’t good enough in playoff-starved Toronto.