The Maple Leafs finally put in a good fight, but it was too little too late. The Florida Panthers have broken their 27-year Conference Finals curse as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in OT in Game 5 to win the series and finally reach the Conference Finals.
Man, it was really funny watching those Leafs fans in Maple Leafs square hang their heads and meekly walk home after Cousins’ OT winner.
The Florida Panthers have done everyone in the hockey world a massive favor as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in OT in front of the rabid Maple Leaf fans to win the series 4-1, ensuring the Panthers would be the ones to fight against the Hurricanes to be the East’s representative for the Stanley Cup. And, despite the Maple Leafs actually playing really well in these last two games, this disappointment is the result they deserve.
I’ve got no idea why it took the Maple Leafs being down 3-0 against a team that just upset the greatest regular season team of all-time in the Boston Bruins to realize they actually had to play well to advance. Didn’t they realize the Panthers were dangerous, or did they buy into the obnoxious “We Want Florida Chants” Maple Leafs fans chants too?
Despite being the 8th seed, this Florida Panthers team is as good (if not better) than every single team left in the Stanley Cup playoffs (Hurricanes, Stars, Kraken, Golden Knights, and Oilers) as they overcame every single effort the Maple Leafs threw at them in Game 5 to close out their first 2nd round series in 27 years.
Beating the Panthers hard, determined, gritty style of play in a four-game series is hard enough (just ask the Bruins), yet trying to overcome a 3-0 deficit against a team that literally doesn’t give an inch of ice away for free is impossible. And this game showed it.
In spite of getting out shot 52-43, outhit 63-49, and getting absolutely lambasted by a Maple Leafs crowd that was honestly one of the most obnoxious I’ve seen all playoffs long (and I’m not just saying that because I can’t stand 95% of Maple Leafs fans), the Panthers stuck to their game plan of heavy forechecking, trapping the neutral zone, and forcing the Maple Leafs into giving up the puck to create odd-man rushes for themselves.
And, seeing as how the Panthers forced the Maple Leafs into 23 turnovers compared to the 18 of their own, I’d say this plan worked fantastically as they scored two of their three goals on odd man rushes directly from Maple Leafs turnovers.
Verhaeghe’s (1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS) goal (the 2nd one for Florida) came directly off Liljegren turning the puck over by his own blue line, thus giving Anthony Duclair (1 A, 1 PT) the opportunity to dish a one-time pass for Verhage to burry in the back of the net.
And, on the OT winner, Radko Gudas (1 A, 1 PTS, +2 +/-) broke up a centering pass from Noel Acciari (0 PTS) in front of his own net that somehow ended up causing all three Maple Leafs forwards to fall behind the play, giving Gudas, Nick Cousins (1 G, 1 PT), and Sam Bennett (0 PTS) a 3-2 on the Maple Leafs net that Cousins scored to win the series.
As I said, the Maple Leafs played really well as Sergei Bobrovsky (51 saves, .962 SV%) played out of his mind and gave the Panthers the opportunity to win the series with his key saves, yet it was these small moments that cost Toronto in the end.
Oh, and the fact that the “Core 3” of Tavares (1 A, 1 PT), Matthews (0 PTS), and Marner (0 PTS) once again failed to deliver as neither one of them registered a goal, yet they coughed the puck up on 6 occasions.
Again, as I’ve said all playoffs long, the only one of these core players to do anything was William Nylander (1 G, 1 PT) as he scored a fantastic solo goal right over the shoulder of Bobrovsky to tie the game 2-2 late on, giving the Leafs a few more minutes in their doomed season.
Oh, and rookie goalie Joesph Woll also was sensational yesterday as despite this game being his second ever playoff start (and third appearance), he kept the Maple Leafs playoff hopes alive for as long as humanly possible with 40 saves, a .930 SV%, and multiple highlight reel saves against the most in-form playoff team.
If anyone on the Maple Leafs team has secured a spot on the roster next season, it’s him.
Still, the Maple Leafs were never going to beat the Panthers four straight times, yet I’m glad Florida was able to wrap this series up in 5 so we wouldn’t have to hear about the 0-3 comeback teams in history or the Maple Leafs chances of winning anymore form the Toronto-dominated media anymore.
We’ll have to wait and see what changes are made in Toronto after this defeat as a 7th straight early playoff exit is even worse than what the San Jose Sharks 2010’s core failed to deliver as at least that team made Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals appearances. This Maple Leafs team can only win five playoff games every year AT THE VERY MOST!
As for the Panthers, their series against the Hurricanes is going to be spectacular as both teams play very similar, aggressive, and relentless styles of hockey.
May the best Eastern team win the Prince of Wales trophy and the right to represent the conference in the Stanley Cup Finals!
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