TORONTO — Here, in the part of Canada that likes to think of itself as the center of the country — and as the center of ice hockey — the N.H.L. playoffs quickly and predictably withered. But hockey is raging like wild roses in Alberta, way to the west.
The second round of the postseason begins Tuesday, and Canada, which had three teams in the field at the start of the postseason, is down to two.
In Toronto, the Maple Leafs lost a Game 7 to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, extending and setting several ignominious records.