The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are putting together their final preparations for Game 6 of their first-round series. Despite going up 3-0 after two overtime wins to start, Toronto has lost two straight and is back in Ottawa. The Maple Leafs have collapsed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before, but Craig Berube is not letting that noise get to his club. TSN's Chris Johnston documented the mentality from the pre-game press conference.

“Business-like, let's go. We're ready to go. Business. Let's go,” Berube said.

A very hockey-guy answer from the Maple Leafs head coach. But that is exactly what Toronto fans should have been hoping for from Berube ahead of this big game. Their team has collapsed in the first round in five of the last six seasons. They are 1-13 in their last 14 elimination games. Berube won two Game 7s in 2019 with the Stanley Cup-winning St Louis Blues and can bring a steady hand.

The Maple Leafs are headed to Ottawa on a business trip. At least on the outside, they are not letting the noise get to them before this game. But with so much scar tissue built up from games like this, could they possibly falter again? Or will they take care of their rivals on the road?

The Maple Leafs need this win

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There are few more perfect phrases in hockey than “Saturday Night in Toronto.” Those are the last words the Maple Leafs want to hear this week. They have the chance to put away the Senators on the road and stop the questions about playoff collapses. If they get back to Toronto, the Maple Leafs will be peppered with questions about what went wrong and what could go wrong.

The Maple Leafs went down 3-1 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year against the Boston Bruins. They battled back to force a Game 7, hit the road, and laid down in Beantown to end the season. In 2022, they took a 3-2 lead over the Lightning and lost two consecutive games. In 2021, they took a 3-1 lead over the Canadiens and lost. The Leafs have lost in every way. Blowing a 3-0 lead would be a new low.

The Maple Leafs also may be in a ‘Last Dance' situation with two of their big forwards. Mitch Marner is about to hit free agency and could set a new AAV record if he goes elsewhere. And John Tavares needs a new contract. If they lose on Thursday, those conversations will get louder, too.