Toronto Maple Leafs break 'cursed' narrative and close out Senators series

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be playing a little bit longer this spring.

Facing off against the Ottawa Senators in Game 6 of their first-round series, the Leafs certainly made Thursday night one to remember.

Max Pacioretty's first goal of the playoffs late in the third period — followed by a William Nylander empty-netter — gave Toronto a 4-2 win to knock off the Ottawa Senators and give the franchise just their second playoff series win since 2004.

With Toronto winning the first three games of the series (two in overtime), they made their fans sweat by allowing Ottawa to come out victorious in the next two.

For any longtime Leafs fan, the familiar feelings of existential dread, cursing of one's family lineage, and wondering who exactly to blame for the supposed cursed nature of their franchise began to set in. After Toronto was held scoreless in Game 5 in a 4-0 loss, it was easy to wonder if another all-time collapse was on the way.

Auston Matthews broke the deadlock late in the first period, giving the team their first power play goal in an elimination game since 2018, breaking an 0-for-30 streak on the man advantage in such situations.

William Nylander extended Toronto's lead to two in the early moments of the second period, but Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk got the Senators on the board to make it 2-1. David Perron gave Ottawa a short-lived tie midway through the third period, but Toronto was able to close things out and move on to the second round.

@blogto 2-0 lead for the Leafs in Game 6 👀 #toronto #ontario #torontomapleleafs #nhl #nhlplayoffs #hockey #fyp ♬ original sound - blogTO

The night certainly helped the sorts of Leafs fans who make the team their entire personality plan their next few weeks of nights out, avoiding what would've been an all-time nerve-wracking Game 7 in Toronto on Saturday night.

Toronto will go on the face the Florida Panthers, after the defending Stanley Cup champions knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games on Wednesday night.