@ Philadelphia

Of course the script started with Christian Dvorak scoring before most of us had even settled into the couch. It’s the quintessential Leafs experience: immediate soul-crushing panic followed by the realization that we voluntarily signed up for this cycle of misery. But then Auston Matthews decided to remind everyone why he gets the big bucks, and suddenly the world didn't feel like a cold, dark void. When Jake McCabe and Nicholas Robertson both found the back of the net, it felt like some sort of glitch in the matrix where the secondary scoring actually shows up instead of just looking busy and losing puck battles along the boards.

The lead actually grew when Easton Cowan padded the score just seconds into the third, giving us that dangerous sense of security that usually precedes a historic, multi-goal collapse. Tyson Foerster tried to make things interesting late—because it wouldn't be a Toronto game without a little unnecessary cortisol spike—but Calle Jarnkrok eventually put the Flyers out of their misery with a late insurance marker. We were outshot 33-27, yet somehow walked away with a 5-2 win on the road. It’s tempting to feel good about this, but let’s remember it’s only a matter of time before a Zamboni driver or a blown 3-1 series lead humbles us all again. Enjoy the victory, just don’t start scouting parade routes through the downtown core quite yet.