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There’s nothing fairly like one other Game 7 for the Toronto Maple Leafs to ignite the passions of Ottawa Senators followers.

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As the Maple Leafs strive, but once more, Saturday evening in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning to exorcise the ghosts of so a few years of playoff collapses, the viewing occasion in Ottawa affords up a singular perspective on the entire thing.

For giant swaths of the nation, Toronto is Canada’s workforce, however should you performed an off-the-cuff ballot on the patios in the ByWard Market or round TD Place, the desires would lean in direction of the Lightning putting the Maple Leafs yet one more time.

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It’s all concerning the bitter recollections of probably the most heated moments of the Battle of Ontario a era in the past (Joe Nieuwendyk-Patrick Lalime, Tie Domi-Ricard Persson, Pat Quinn-Jacques Martin, anybody?) together with a contact of an inferiority advanced in direction of the large metropolis with the large buildings and the large bankroll to signal the largest names.

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The present Maple Leafs have been constructed to win the Stanley Cup now and heads will roll if there’s yet one more early post-season failure.

Accordingly, the underdog Senators followers, normally overwhelmed in their very own constructing when the Maple Leafs come to city, are taking a measure of pleasure in the warmth shining down on Toronto.

Just in case you’re by some means not accustomed to the depth of the puck stress, the Maple Leafs have been eradicated in the primary spherical of the playoffs for the previous 5 seasons, going 0-for-9 in potential collection clinching video games since 2018.

That consists of Thursday’s 4-3 Game 6 time beyond regulation loss in Tampa, the place Toronto held a 3-2 third interval lead.

Every time a lead is blown, the Maple Leafs gamers of right this moment unfairly tackle the burden of the Maple Leafs squad of 2011, which blew a 4-1 third interval lead in Game 7 in opposition to the Boston Bruins earlier than dropping in time beyond regulation. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly deserve their share of criticism for what’s occurred since 2017, however they weren’t a part of the sooner ugly meltdowns.

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There have been additionally loads of terrible, uncompetitive Maple Leafs groups alongside the best way, but it surely’s nonetheless nearly unfathomable to contemplate that Toronto hasn’t received in the playoffs since knocking off the Senators in Game 7 of the primary spherical on April 20, 2004.

How way back was that? If you had a child born on the day Nieuwendyk chased Lalime from the online, she or he would possibly be headed off to college in the autumn. Facebook was two months outdated. Twitter was nonetheless two years away and the Iphone arrived one other yr after that.

It’s unimaginable to preserve monitor of the tears spilled into empty beer cups by Maple Leafs followers alongside the best way.

For all that, although, it’s the Maple Leafs that when upon a time routinely kicked the Senators to the curb in the spring. Not as soon as. Not twice. Not thrice. But 4 instances in 5 years, together with defeating a few of the most loaded lineups in Senators historical past.

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Back then, the Senators have been related to the place the Maple Leafs at the moment are, with a dynamic workforce led by excessive draft picks maturing into stars, producing a run of 11 consecutive playoff appearances.

Over and over once more, although, the Maple Leafs delivered the playoff distress.

The twist right here is that 38-year-old Jason Spezza has turn into a mentor and voice of expertise for the Maple Leafs. He was credited with serving to settle down goaltender Jack Campbell when the Maple Leafs rallied to win Game 5 after falling behind 2-0 early.

Back in 2004, Spezza was a 20-year-old child with the Senators. To this present day, many Senators followers nonetheless shake their heads, questioning why Spezza was a wholesome scratch for 4 of these seven video games in opposition to the Maple Leafs, together with the deciding contest. Spezza scored 22 objectives and 55 factors through the 2003-04 common season.

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If there’s something that may give Senators followers pause in cheering for the Lightning, it’s in hoping for the perfect for Spezza, who performed in Ottawa from 2002-14 and adopted Daniel Alfredsson as workforce captain.

Alfredsson, in truth, has expressed combined feelings concerning the collection.

Guesting with TSN 1200 earlier this week, the best captain in Senators historical past stated he might always remember concerning the depth of the Senators-Maple Leafs rivalry. Alfredsson’s controversial hit and ensuing purpose on Darcy Tucker in the 2002 collection between the groups is a signature second in workforce historical past.

At the identical time, Alfredsson additionally stated he’s in Spezza’s nook and that it’s lengthy overdue for a Canadian workforce to win the Stanley Cup.

Considering the variety of instances Toronto has been right here earlier than, the percentages certainly should be in their favour to flip over a brand new Maple Leaf. Right?

Whatever manner it goes Saturday, expect the response to be drastically completely different in Ottawa than it’s in Toronto.

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