Justin Bourne

2 weeks ago | sportsnet.ca | Justin Bourne

In the end, the Toronto Maple Leafs' Core Four era fell apart like a Temu purchase, the picture of something great just digitally rendered, its plastic parts snapping with pressure applied. At least it was definitive. No prominent injury kept them a few goals light of success. No weak goaltending let down a team of destiny. No bad calls or bounces, no "hair's breadth margin against the defending champs" as a crutch. No almosts, no ifs, no buts or maybes within squinting distance. Buh-bye.

3 weeks ago | bvmsports.com | Justin Bourne

Because sporting greatness is a conspicuous thing revealed by the movements and actions of the world's most gifted, we've become adept at describing its poetry. These athletes are powerful, they're dynamic, they're transcendent. It's a much greater challenge to describe the absence of greatness because greatness is not to be assumed, and it isn't to be expected. When it isn't there, and we watch professional athletes be good, or average, or worse, it doesn't inspire much comment.

3 weeks ago | sportsnet.ca | Justin Bourne

Because sporting greatness is a conspicuous thing revealed by the movements and actions of the world’s most gifted, we’ve become adept at describing its poetry. These athletes are powerful, they’re dynamic, they’re transcendent. It’s a much greater challenge to describe the absence of greatness because greatness is not to be assumed, and it isn’t to be expected. When it isn’t there, and we watch professional athletes be good, or average, or worse, it doesn’t inspire much comment.

3 weeks ago | sportsnet.ca | Justin Bourne

There was a point in the first round where fans of the trailing Ottawa Senators were pointing to some underlying “deserve-to-win-o-meter” type stats like shot attempts and, yes, Ice Tilt, but those raw totals belied the truth. Every time the game was close the Leafs hit the gas and pulled away, then went back into a shell and let the Sens pummel pucks into shins from the outside. The Leafs won some close games, but it never seemed overly close.

3 weeks ago | sportsnet.ca | Justin Bourne

No preamble – below are a half-dozen thoughts on the state of the Leafs through Game 4 of the second round, which finds them tied 2-2 with the Florida Panthers. Auston Matthews' lack of scoring is a problem, but miscalibrated shooting isn’t to blameJust about nothing I’ll write after this section matters if Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner can’t figure out how to create more offence. Everything except the play of Joseph Woll (a sudden bright spot) is secondary. So, let’s look at Matthews today.