Leafs remain confident in Battle of Ontario do sex sex to

TORONTO – Auston Matthews stood in a sombre, all-too-familiar-feeling locker room. The Maple Leafs captain said all the right things to a wall of cameras flanked by reporters moments after his team wasted yet another opportunity to end an opponent’s season.Matthews sported a calm, we’ve-got-this demeanour. A tortured fan base, however, has seen similar playoff scripts. The deep scars remain. The painful memories are hard to cast aside.Toronto has seen its 3-0 lead over the upstart Ottawa Senators whittled to 3-2 following back-to-back losses in the teams’ first-round matchup.The Leafs remain in the driver’s seat — Game 6 of the best-of-seven series goes Thursday in the nation’s capital — but the screw has been tightened and ugly narratives have begun to resurface in the Battle of Ontario. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-10","lazy":false,"targeting":{"pos":10,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-10"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-10","lazy":false,"targeting":{"pos":10,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-10"},"companion":false} ); } “We’re not looking in the rear-view mirror,” Matthews said. “We’re in a good spot here.”But the history is impossible to ignore.Toronto is now an abysmal 1-13 in potential series-clinching games since Matthews and Mitch Marner led the Original Six franchise out of a down-to-the-studs rebuild in 2017.There have been crushing Game 7 losses and a string of missed chances with adversaries wobbling on the ropes. Related Videos 2:20 Toronto Maple Leaf’s gear up for Game 2 of the Battle of Ontario Toronto Maple Leaf’s gear up for Game 2 of the Battle of Ontario Leafs, Sens mark history in 1st playoff game in 21 years NHL playoffs first round kicks off with battle of Ontario Toronto traffic forces NHL’s Utah players to walk to arena Hockey Preview: What to expect ahead of the NHL Season ‘Truly an honour’: Auston Matthews named 26th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs House of Hockey returns for second season ‘The accountability is on me’: Shanahan accepts responsibility for Maple Leafs playoff failure Auston Matthews suffered from sickness, hit to head: Treliving ‘Difficulty of the business’: Treliving addresses Keefe’s firing Previous Video Next Video Those playoff “demons” — first uttered by former assistant coach Paul MacLean four years ago before Toronto blew a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens and lost in seven — have been tough to shake. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. The Leafs’ disappointing 4-0 home loss Tuesday to the Senators following Saturday’s 4-3 overtime setback that breathed life into their provincial rival featured many hallmarks of past post-season missteps. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-11","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":11,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-11"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-11","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":11,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-11"},"companion":false} ); } Toronto lost the special teams’ battle. The opposition goaltender played well. The Leafs looked tense and nervous at times. Pucks chimed off posts and chances were squandered. The talent-loaded core of Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares couldn’t break through when it mattered most.“It’s not supposed to be easy,” Marner said. “This was never supposed to be easy.”The club shook things up last off-season when it hired Stanley Cup-hoisting head coach Craig Berube, added more blue-line bite and shored up the goaltending. Toronto instituted a more direct, north-south, battle-heavy approach — a system tailored to playoff hockey in hopes the competitive switch wouldn’t have to be flipped this spring. More on Sports More videos Varsho makes highlight-reel catch in return Abreu’s three-run blast helps Red Sox rout Jays Blue Jays activate Varsho off injured list Blue Jays activate Varsho off injured list Saskatchewan Roughriders GM O’Day reflects on top picks in 2025 CFL Draft Canucks confirm head coach Rick Tocchet will not return next season Saskatoon AAA Stars reflect on national silver medal at 2025 Esso Cup Huskie Football Foundation hosts NFL’s Luke Willson at annual Dogs Breakfast Despite the two recent setbacks in a series that has seen a pair of Leafs’ OT victories and a Game 1 blowout, Berube’s message is simple.“It’s playoff hockey,” he said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs. We’ve got to stay composed and stay poised. We’ll figure out some things and be better next game.“We’re confident.” Trending Now Pierre Poilievre loses Carleton riding he’s held for 20 years What next for the NDP after party loses leader, seats and official status? Marner, who makes it clear every time a question about the past is posed his only concern is the present, said belief remains high.“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” he said. “They pushed back the last two games. We’ve got to go into a building and play our best game. We’ve been a great road team all year.” Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-12","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":12,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-12"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-12","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":12,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-12"},"companion":false} ); } Toronto, which registered a franchise-record 25 wins away from home in 2024-25, went 5-for-9 on the power play over the first three games of the series. Ottawa has responded with a man-advantage goal and a pair of short-handed efforts over the last two contests.The Leafs also haven’t generated enough at 5-on-5 with just six even-strength goals, including two in OT.“Every game is a ton of pressure,” said Toronto defenceman Chris Tanev, one of team’s key off-season additions. “Throughout each period, each game, each series, there’s tons of momentum swings and shifts. Usually whoever deals with those the best will win periods, win games and win series.”The group made available to the media put on brave faces Tuesday after the nothing-to-lose Senators — looking to become just the fifth NHL team to win a series after trailing 3-0 — hacked another chunk off their advantage.“It’s about the next day, the next game,” Matthews said. “We’re going to be ready to go.”Doubt, these Leafs insist, hasn’t crept in. One more loss, however, and those playoff demons could come tapping on their collective shoulder.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025. Advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-13","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":13,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-13"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-13","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":13,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-13"},"companion":false} ); }