vs Ottawa

Auston Matthews finds the back of the net to start the scoring, and suddenly the collective Toronto delusion returns as if the last several decades of heartache never happened. When Bobby McMann doubled the lead, it looked like a comfortable cruise was in the cards. Of course, that was the first mistake; believing a two-goal lead for this franchise is anything other than a setup for an inevitable punchline.

Ottawa spent the rest of the game peppering the net with 41 shots while the blue and white defense opted for the "thoughts and prayers" approach. Fabian Zetterlund cut the lead, and Shane Pinto eventually found the equalizer to ensure the pain would be stretched out into a bonus period. The Leafs managed 33 shots of their own, but many of those seemed to be directed straight into the goalie's pads or the general hopes and dreams of the home crowd.

The extra frame lasted just a few heartbeats before Pinto scored again to end it. Losing a multi-goal lead at home to the Senators is the most quintessential Toronto experience outside of paying exorbitant rent for a basement apartment. It’s a classic collapse delivered with mid-season efficiency, proving once again that no matter the year or the roster, the script remains aggressively the same.