Toronto – Craig Berube had no answer. Auston Matthews did not apologize. Mitch Marner tried to quickly turn the page.
Half -empty help, the hoots of those present at the Scotiabank Arena always harden the pain, and some jerseys thrown on the glass on the ice have painted a dark image.
The Maple Leafs went from the driver’s seat to the edge of elimination in the space of a week.
They have an opportunity to recover their season – and save the face.
The Florida Panthers showed their title winner of the title with a clinical performance on Wednesday in dismantling of Toronto 6-1 to take a 3-2 advance in the eliminatory series of the teams.
“It is difficult to explain it,” said Berube, the head coach caused last spring to obtain the talented and lower list of the leafs on his post-season bump.
“We all have to be better, including me.”
Aaron Ekblad and Jesper Boqvist, with a goal and a help each, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, AJ Greer and Sam Bennett scored for the panthers, who had Toronto on his puck drop heels.
Match 6 takes place on Friday evening in Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Match 7, if necessary, would be back in Toronto on Sunday.
It was probably difficult for fans who came out of the rink to imagine that the one who is playing after looking at their team falling flat under the lively lights.
“I do not think there is really an excuse or an explanation,” said Matthews, the captain of Toronto still aimless in the series. “We have to win a match to keep our season alive.”
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Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished with 31 stops, saw his laundering sequence of 143 minutes 25 seconds dating back to the third period of match 3 broken at the end of the settlement. Sam Reinhart and Nate Schmidt added two assists each for the title champions of the Stanley Cup.
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“I am not a great momentum,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice. “The series is closer than you think.”
It didn’t want it on Wednesday.
Joseph Woll granted five goals on 25 shots before doing the hook in another ugly performance at all levels of the aplestile leafs, which led this match of the Atlantic division 2-0 before three consecutive defeats which pushed them to the limit.
“I do not think that anyone is happy,” said Marner, who could have played her last blue and white match at Scotiabank Arena with her contract which will expire on July 1. “It’s time to reset, refocus for a flight … Go to Florida and win a hockey match.”
Matt Murray finished with six relief stops. Nick Robertson obtained the objective of Consolation of Toronto.
“They have possessed us,” said Leafs winger William Nylander.
The panthers opened the scoring in a dominant first period when they held a decided side – both territorially and on the chronometer.
Florida, which laundered Toronto 2-0 in match 4 at home, found a way to spend Woll at 2:38 p.m. when the Leafs lost a series of washer battles before Ekblad pulled its second from the standoffs upstairs.
Leaf striker Scott Laughton hit the post for a minute in the second, but everything was down from there.
Kulikov succeeded 2-0 at 6:08 am when his point shot went to Laughton’s stick.
Marner – A free agent without restriction – then threw a passage of hope in the middle that Florida easily picked up in the neutral zone. Reinhart quickly turned in the other direction and fed Boqvist, in the alignment of the injured Evan Rodrigues, so that he can at home his first goal since January 25 at 10:05 am after Marner did not recover the front on the rear check.
“A sloppy game, not working hard enough, gave them far too many opportunities around our net,” said Marner about Leafs problems. “There is a good list.”
Mikkola succeeded 4-0 at 14:01 when he castigated his first of the playoff series on a shot that Woll will want to come back.
Berube began his fourth line to start the third period – a clear message at the heart of the team’s stars’ stars led by Matthews, Marner, Nylander and John Tavares.
Greer made 5-0 with his first at 6:23 as a number of fans were heading for outings. One threw a Matthews jersey on the ice. No more laundry hit the playing surface while the clock was fortunately wrapped.
“Play better,” said Leass defender and Chris Tanev, the defender and from Toronto, said when asked about the crowd’s answer.
“I don’t think we gave them a lot of reasons to stay,” added Matthews.
Murray, who made an appearance in the playoff series for the last time in 2020 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, took over from there and allowed the sixth from Florida to Bennett during power at 9:09 am.
The beaten and bruised leafs, which rose to the board with 66 seconds to play in regulation when Robertson finally beat Bobrovsky, is now heading south with the back against the wall.
“I don’t have an answer for you for” why? “” Said Berube. “It’s sport, things happen.”
Nothing good from the point of view of Toronto during a disastrous night.
This Canadian press report was published for the first time on May 14, 2025.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press