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The Ottawa rink is still one of the most inconvenient arenas in the league; a traffic nightmare from downtown, narrow concourses, dated and old. Going to Senators games can honestly sometimes feel like it’s a garage franchise, to borrow a phrase.

One time I ate a pre-game meal there and it felt like we were eating leftovers. I have a montage of pictures of Craig Custance of The Athletic laughing bitterly as he ate it. Well, tonight, with no disrespect to Edmonton, the Canadian Tire Centre is the centre of the Canadian hockey universe. This is a Leafs game people will remember, one way or another. It’s going to be fascinating to see whether the Leafs look nervous, indecisive, desperate in the wrong way. Because lord knows we’ve seen them look like that before. Tonight’s opera is underway.

Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews each have one goal through five games in this series. Marner has six assists while Matthews has five.

In 14 series-clinching games since 2018, the Leafs duo has combined for four goals and 10 assists. 海角社区官网will need them to step up tonight.

The Star’s Kevin McGran is in Ottawa and took a photo of the two stars finishing their pre-game routine, where they’re the last players on the ice.

So, here we are. These Leafs aren’t last year’s Leafs, or the Leafs before that. They have better goaltending, in theory. They have a better top defence pair. And critically 鈥� again, in theory 鈥� they have a weaker first-round opponent in the Ottawa Senators.

You could see all of that come to bear as the Leafs opened up the 3-0 lead in this series. And while that’s in the rearview mirror, those games were important: they gave the Leafs breathing room, in case things went wrong. Which leads us back: here we are.

It’s not an exaggeration to say Game 6 in Ottawa is the biggest game in the career of the core Leafs: of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly. Lose this game and you go back to 海角社区官网for a Game 7 played over a trap door, against a young Sens team that isn’t afraid of you, with the greatest failure in an era full of playoff failures looming over every second, every decision, everything. Win this game and you get to exhale for about 15 seconds before turning around and finding a Florida Panthers team that has more playoff success in the past two seasons than the Leafs have in the previous 25.

Time to figure out whether you have this figured out, Leafs, if just for a night. Let’s watch.

Nobody wants to be reminded of this moments before a playoff game that feels like a must-win for the Leafs聽鈥� even if it technically isn’t.

But these numbers, courtesy of Sportsnet Stats, highlight just how difficult it’s been for 海角社区官网to close out playoff series over the last several years.

Maybe tonight will be different.

Captain Brady Tkachuk promised Senators fans after Game 4 that his team would be back at the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 6. He followed through on that, and now he’s asking those attending Thursday night’s game to make a difference.

“This is not just about our team, it’s about our city,” Tkachuk told reporters after Ottawa’s morning skate. “You can feel the excitement and we’re going to need it tonight.”

Tkachuk, who has three goals and three assists through the series’ five games, was also asked if the Senators had played their best playoff hockey yet.

“There’s no chance we’re ever going to be complacent with where we’re at. We always want more,” he said.

OTTAWA鈥擬aple Leafs coach Craig Berube put his team鈥檚 mindset in the simplest terms as it prepares for Game 6 against the not-dead-yet Ottawa Senators.

鈥淟et鈥檚 go. Ready to go. Business. Let鈥檚 go,鈥� said Berube.

The Leafs find themselves in the driver鈥檚 seat, up three games to two, while also battling the demons of the past, a record of 1-13 in games in which they could put away an opponent since 2018. They say they鈥檙e not letting that get to them.

You just try to block all that stuff out,鈥� captain Auston Matthews said. 鈥淭he main focus is on the guys in the room, on the team and playing for one another. That鈥檚 really all there is to it. All the outside noise, all that stuff, it is what it is. It鈥檚 not something that you focus on at all.”

Get the latest from Leafs reporter Kevin McGran

Are the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs really doing this again?

It was 2021 when former Leafs assistant coach Paul MacLean鈥檚 haunting words were uttered between Games 6 and 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs, heavy favourites in that first-round playoff series, were comfortably up three games to one before losing the next two in overtime.

Amazon鈥檚 鈥淎ll of Nothing鈥� documentary captured a coaches meeting where MacLean spoke about what was at stake for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

鈥淵ou can exorcise so many f鈥�-ing demons. And they鈥檝e got demons in their heads, they鈥檝e got 鈥榚m in their car, they鈥檝e got 鈥榚m under their f鈥�-ing beds,鈥� MacLean said to former head coach Sheldon Keefe. 鈥淓verywhere they turn there鈥檚 a f鈥�-ing demon with a loss on it. The biggest obstacle this team has right now is themselves.鈥�

Four years have passed, but the demons haven鈥檛 left.

Read the full column from Nick Kypreos

Might as well get the money quote out of the way toot sweetie.

鈥淎ll I hear around here is core, core, core. The Core 4.鈥欌��

And Craig Berube has only been 鈥渁round here鈥欌�� for one season. These are the veteran coach鈥檚 first playoffs behind the Maple Leafs bench.

Berube is a lunch-bucket, no-nonsense guy with a throwback sensibility. But he can鈥檛 possibly truly grasp how sags the spirit in 海角社区官网or the twitchy dread of his longest-tenured players on a team that has watched a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the Atlantic Division series lurch into a 3-2 sinkhole of anxiety.

Read the full column from Rosie DiManno