Look, I’ve been a Leafs fan long enough to know that a 7-2 demolition of Edmonton on Saturday, October 24, feels like a warm hug before a inevitable winter storm. At 7-4-2, we are firmly in the race, and with 71 games still ahead, there is plenty of time for this team to remind me why my heart rate monitor hates me. The season is live, we are three games back in the Atlantic, and I am choosing to breathe for at least another 24 hours.
While I nurse my nerves, the rest of the league is actually busy today, October 25. We have a five-game slate starting with Florida heading into Chicago, followed by the Islanders visiting Dallas. Later, Montreal hits the ice against Winnipeg, Colorado faces Nashville, and Minnesota wraps things up in Vancouver. I’ll be watching, naturally—not because I have any faith in peace of mind, but because I’m a masochist. After seeing Ottawa put up seven on the Rangers yesterday, nothing surprises me anymore. Maybe this is our year? Or maybe I’m just delusional. Either way, the puck drops, the math happens, and we wait for the inevitable heartbreak of 1967 to continue.