There’s a lot more things ahead, and we’ve got to be ready for it.”Īgainst Florida no Leafs star has elicited more criticism, or earned it. “So you know, a special moment but (we) can’t be satisfied. “I was kind of right in front of Johnny and you know, both kids that grew up in this area and want to do something special for this team,” said Marner, his busted lip giving him the air of someone who had come through a dust-up and wanted another. He has talked over the years about how social media got to him, how he has struggled with the ups and downs of the game, how he has tried to find the equilibrium between caring like crazy, but only about the right things. Marner puts plenty on himself, in his hometown, on this Leafs team. The flip side to that is that Marner’s game is about joy under pressure. His game is fundamentally about joy, and there may not be another more joyous player in the league: someone who thinks to head a puck out of the defensive zone on the fly, who relishes killing penalties, who sprints on his skates to or from dressing rooms, who tries to find and explore the pathways hidden within the game. Then came Game 4, and a 2-1 Leafs win over the Florida Panthers to avoid elimination, and a game in which Marner in particular wrestled himself out of the ditch. A sweep and you might start to wonder, even a tiny bit, if they would ever do this again.
It was routine, but on the edge of a collapse everything feels more significant, and the Leafs were on the edge of a collapse. Before Game 4 Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner did that same pas de deux they always do: the last two Maple Leafs on the ice as warm-ups close, passing as they glide in half-circles, shooting into the empty net, two young stars in sync.
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