The fourth Round 1 meeting between the Bruins and the Leafs in 12 years required Game 7, as it always has.
The takes, narratives, tropes, and dramatics persisted, as they always have. But this one felt different from the start, even though we know it ended as it always does.
Perhaps the feeling that the Leafs could do it this time started last season when the Core 4 – Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares – finally made it past the first round. It was against the Lightning, not the Bruins, and their run ended in the second round.