In the series, the Leaves humbled in a 3-2 run on Wednesday, May 14, 6-1 blowout that revealed more than just tactical mistakes. It exposes spiritual revelation. In a city that starved to death by the success of the playoffs, expectations after hiring Craig Berube will increase, and the loss feels different. Deeper. Heavier.
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Toronto faces the same old playoff demon again, staggering when it matters most.
The Berube version of the maple leaf version should be a playoff test, which is more stringent and flexible. Yet, against the Florida Panthers with relentless pre-examination and opportunistic offense, Leaf succumbed to pressure.
Two of the Panthers’ six goals were within five seconds of a turnover, the most obvious of which was Mitch Marner’s blind backhand gift, which led to Jesper Boqvist’s first professional playoff goal.Black Panther’s plan causes chaos, leaves feed it
“The way we play has caused a lot of confusion,” said Panthers forward AJ Greer. “The game plan (provided us) the opportunity to make every line successful offensively.”
The Panthers now have the league-highest 17 different players in these NHL playoffs.
Interestingly, Toronto’s turnover rate is actually lower than its three losses (15.4%) of two wins (16.9%), but Florida makes the leaves pay more frequently. Over the past three games, the Panthers have turned four goals in ten seconds of a Toronto turnover.
By contrast, Ye Zi only managed two such reactions. In Games 1 and 2, their turnover goals had a 5-3 advantage.
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Stars remain silent when leaves need them the most
The Panthers’ unanimous offense not only undermined Toronto’s defense, but also revealed the faded edges of their biggest star. Auston Matthews, who scored only three goals in his last 21 playoff appearances, admitted his team’s defeat.
“I think they worked harder,” Matthews admitted. Leafs started with games 4 and 5, with a sluggish tone, with Florida leading 25-8 in the first phase.
Despite winning more hockey battles overall (the entire series 197-162), the Leaf lost control of the most important area, the slots. Compared to Toronto’s 72 points, the Panthers produced 105 driving games.
In the last three games, Florida’s 11 of its 13 goals came from the seat, including seven in the internal slot.
Goalkeeper Joseph Woll did his best but allowed the expected 2.5 goals in Game 5 before being pulled. Woll was Toronto’s only choice for Game 6 due to Anthony Stolarz’s doubts about travel.
He performed very well in the face of previous knockout rounds, with an average target of 3-1 with 1.40 and a savings of 0.950.
But for the “Core Four” of the Leaf, the clock ticked. Matthews, Marner and John Tavares have only four goals in their last 27 playoff games against the knockout stage. William Nylander still scored seven goals in 10 such games.
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Berube talks about it simply before the 6th showdown
“You have to skate, you have to compete,” Beluber said. “Take out your mind. Go play. Be aggressive.”
The suggestion may be the last hope for the Maple Leaf Squad to find structures in the middle of chaos. If the Toronto star shows up in Game 6, the season starting with the championship wish may end again.
