Anxiety and consternation are a natural part of being a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, especially during the playoffs. There’s a tendency to be preoccupied with the worst-case scenario, rather than living in the moment. And after the Maple Leafs lost in overtime to the Ottawa Senators, anxiety has morphed into outright panic for some factions of the fan base.

This blog is a simple appeal to rationality. Perhaps we’re fighting against a straw man here, but based on some of the reactions following an overtime loss in Sunday’s Game 4, you would’ve assumed the Leafs were already eliminated. There’s been a call for drastic changes, or a scrupulous examination of the Core Five, when they’ve largely delivered. Against an inferior opponent in the Senators, a plea for calm and confidence entering Game 5 is the only course.

There were some who earnestly suggested that Joseph Woll should start Game 5. Anthony Stolarz won 11 consecutive starts, dating back to the regular season, before Jake Sanderson beat him in overtime on Sunday. Stolarz led the NHL in save percentage during the regular season and provided the Leafs with the natural confidence they’ve lacked in a goaltender throughout this era. How does an overtime loss change the equation? If the Leafs scored first and swept the series, Stolarz would’ve been lauded as the series MVP. It’s a baffling suggestion to suggest that he should be replaced by Woll for Game 5. And to be clear, this isn’t a shot at Woll, who was in contention for the playoff starting role before Stolarz caught fire to close out the regular season, and gained the majority of starts during the year. It’s a plea against being reactionary.

To be clear, we’re not trying to police fandom, we’re just trying to mitigate some of the noise and nonsense. In the past, the Core Four — and now the group is a Core Five, as Matthew Knies has matured into a genuine star — failed to deliver in the playoffs, which is partly why many Leafs fans are prone to catastrophizing. And there’s been a renewed demand for the Core to rise to the occasion. Mitch Marner has seven points, Auston Matthews and William Nylander each have six, John Tavares has five, while Knies recorded three goals in four games and is continuing to impress the organization. Is there something I’m missing? The tone surrounding the series would be entirely different if the Leafs had swept, and there are merits for natural confidence.

I’m borrowing this idea from my colleague Zack Phillips, who expressed before Game 1 on The Leafs Nation pre-game show that the fan base should enter this series with natural confidence, rather than defensive posturing. In the past, there was a tendency to view superior opponents such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins with bravado and pent-up anger. And while the Battle of Ontario has been a content goldmine, the reality is that the Maple Leafs are far superior and further along in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup than the Senators are, a young, inexperienced team that is growing into their window. And the Leafs are now afforded every chance to eliminate the Senators in a tidy five games, on home ice. Once again, here’s a brief appeal to rationality.

Unless, of course, this all becomes moot. We’re not here to police or grant permission to be a fan, that’s your natural right that we have no domain over. Enjoy the festivities tonight, as the arena should be rocking, with the Maple Leafs looking to close out this battle against a Senators team they’ve earned the right to play against.