And how do you like your series?
At the moment, we’re enjoying tighter series in the West than in the East. True, only two series have featured two games in the West, but those series are 1-1. Thanks, Artturi Lehkonen, and thanks to Thatcher Demko’s injury, I guess.
In the East, on the other hand, it’s not so tight. Three series are 2-0, including two (the Metropolitan series) that are still one-way.
But there is one series that is evenly matched in the East, and that’s between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins. It’s currently 1-1, and game #3 takes place tonight in Ontario’s Queen City.
Can the Maple Leafs beat the Bruins?
Will it depend on who’s in front of the goal? That will certainly be a factor, but the Maple Leafs’ big guns will also have to step up.
And if the Toronto Sun is to be believed, Toronto’s expectations are as follows: Mitch Marner must stand up.
Of course, I said “if The Toronto Sun is to be believed” knowing full well that the media goes overboard once in a while. And this morning’s front page is no exception.
Here’s the headline.
The invisible leaf.
When he’s needed most, Mitch Marner does his usual serial thing: he disappears.
Why is Marner, who has no points in two playoff games, being treated this way? Is the pressure that high in Toronto right now?
After all, according to Sportsnet, Mitch Marner is okay. Who’s right?
Often, the truth lies somewhere in between. He may not have been as useless as the Toronto Sun portrays him, but he didn’t do enough to help his team win either.
And that’s even if the sample size is small in 2024. #TwoMatches
But the fact remains that, in the absence of William Nylander, the top three must rise. Auston Matthews (three points) and John Tavares (one point) each scored once in the group’s win in Game #2.
And with Marner having just 10 goals in 52 career playoff games, perhaps that justifies such a headline.
The question I have, in all this, is what’s going to happen a year from now. After all, now that William Nylander and Auston Matthews have signed long- and medium-term deals, we’ll have to see what management does with Ontarians John Tavares and Mitch Marner.
Tavares has already signed the biggest contract of his career, but what about Marner? How much will he get? And more importantly, which team will give him that amount a year from now?
If Toronto goes out in the first round again, the Maple Leafs will be shaking things up. And if it looks like Marner needs a change of scenery, maybe he’ll get it.
Who knows?
In gusto
– Can the CH do it?
– Absolutely.
– Milan Lucic’s wife files for divorce. [ TVA Sports]
– What do you think?
– Still.
– A costly mistake.
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