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Lone Lightning fan in Leafs crowd removes jersey right after Tampa wins Game 6

As the old saying goes, it’s oftentimes better to be the smartest person in the room rather than the loudest.

That was certainly the case for one Tampa Bay Lightning fan that made their way down to Maple Leafs Square on Thursday night.

The Bolts diehard, who watched his team force game seven amid a sea of dejected Maple Leafs fans, was quick on his feet after Brayden Point stuffed home the winner with just 1:57 left in the first overtime.

In the clip, which has since gone viral, the fan quickly removed his Stamkos jersey following the overtime winner, before peering around to seemingly ensure that nobody had caught him in the act.

There’s no doubt that his quick-witted play helped him slink away into what was certainly an agitated crowd, dejected that their beloved Maple Leafs had once again failed to close out a series.

With the loss, the Maple Leafs moved to 0-8 in elimination games since the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The fan himself, who identified himself as Will to a small Maple Leafs fan channel prior to the game, sounded pretty certain of the outcome from the start.

“I’m very confident,” he said prior to puck drop. “When [Vasilevsky] is in net after a loss, we’re obviously going to win right after.”

Amid an endless sea of heartbroken Maple Leafs fans, this lone Lightning supporter made a sound business decision. (Screengrab via Twitter/@Ginohard_)
Amid an endless sea of heartbroken Maple Leafs fans, this lone Lightning supporter made a sound business decision. (Screengrab via Twitter/@Ginohard_)

That observation turned out to be spot on, as the Russian netminder improved to 17-0 with a sparkling .942 save percentage following playoff losses.

While Leafs fans may be dreading Saturday’s do-or-die game, the players seem eager to put the past narratives of failure behind them.

“We can’t change anything now, it’s about the next game, going out there with a purpose, and competing for sixty minutes,” Auston Matthews said. “We just gotta put our balls on the line and go for it.”

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