TORONTO — It turns out the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t break free from the shackles of something spiritual by capturing a moment, and for one night reversing their misfortune. There was no release. No cleanse. No curse broken. Hockey is strange, and weird things happen all the time, but it’s not the work of spirits.
It’s a simple game, a mostly dumb one, where two sides work to implement their basic strategies. And when it has mattered most — for the fourth time in as many years, and regardless of expectations or circumstances no matter how unforeseen — the Leafs have failed to use their chosen means to overcome an opponent.