In the first five games of the season the Leafs were a fun, flashy team to watch. Yes they only won a single game, but they never really trailed by a large score and every game was winnable, and almost all of the opponents (Boston, Ottawa, Winnipeg) were not teams anyone would worry about, while Minnesota is a playoff team and Chicago isn’t at peak dynasty mode at the moment, but could just be playing possum.
Tonight, however, the opponent was a Stanley Cup contender. The Tampa Bay Lightning are where the Maple Leafs want to be in a few years.