Maple Leafs Worried?: Falter Again in Closeout Game vs Senators

The Toronto Maple Leafs missed yet another chance to clinch a playoff series on Tuesday night, falling 4-0 to the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of their first-round matchup. The loss has immediately sent several fans into panic mode because the Leafs now hold a dismal 1-12 record in potential closeout games since the start of the 2018 playoffs. This series will shift back to Ottawa for Game 6 on Thursday.

While fans are concerned, the players aren’t there yet. Despite the collapse in Game 5, the team doesn’t believe the sky is falling. “We’re up 3-2 in the series… I think we’re fine,” defenseman Chris Tanev said following the loss. Mitch Marner noted, “It’s not supposed to be easy. This is never supposed to be easy. We knew this was going to be a challenge.”

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Auston Matthews is trying to stay confident. He told the media after the loss:

“We’re not looking in the rearview mirror. It’s about the next day, the next game. Like I said, we’ve been a good road team all season long. We’re a confident group in here. We’ve got to put this one behind us, learn from it. We’re in a good spot here and we just want to go in there and be a focused group. We’re going to be ready to go and we’ll go from there.”

Why are the Maple Leafs So Bad at Closing Out a Series?

Toronto’s inability to finish a series when the opportunity presents itself has become a defining—and haunting—problem. The numbers are staggering: they’ve scored just 23 goals in those 13 closeout games while surrendering 48. The power play continues to be a major issue, going 0-for-30 in their last 30 man-advantage opportunities in potential clinchers. Overall, they’re 1-for-31 (3.2%) on the power play in such games since 2018.

Even more troubling, the Leafs’ star players are failing to show up when it matters most. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander still have zero combined power-play goals in Games 5 through 7 in their playoff careers.

Ottawa, meanwhile, played with urgency and poise, led by goaltender Linus Ullmark, who became just the second goalie in Senators history to post a shutout in an elimination game.

Now the Maple Leafs are left to answer the same question once again: can they finally close out a playoff series when it counts? With two more chances, starting Thursday in Ottawa, the pressure is intensifying. And if history is any indication, Leafs Nation has every reason to worry.

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