It’s the hope that kills you.
Could it have been any more back-breaking than that? When all hope felt lost after a loss in Game 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied in a big way, winning the next two to force a Game 7.
Then, after nearly 50 minutes of deadlocked hockey Saturday night, William Nylander opened the scoring, letting out a collective cheer in Southern Ontario.
But it simply wasn’t meant to be.
Hampus Lindholm scored a minute later and the momentum Toronto generated seemed to dissipate before their very eyes.
A goal from Bruins superstar David Pastrnak in overtime was the dagger in the heart felt throughout Leafs Nation. The game-winner not only wrote the final words in another Maple Leafs season, it penned yet another chapter in Boston’s continued domination of Toronto.
Seven-straight series wins against the Maple Leafs. Four-straight in winner-take-all Game 7s. After getting the monkey off their back last year, time has been a flat circle for the seemingly cursed Buds.
It’s hard to pen an ending more painful than that, but Leafs fans took to social media to try and vent their frustrations after another lost year.
Here are some of their reactions (and a few from non-Leafs fans).
