The Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase is used to heartbreak in the playoffs. No matter how well the team plays in the regular season, fans come to expect an early playoff collapse. Maybe this year was different, since the Leafs won the Atlantic Division and cruised past the Ottawa Senators. They even took a 2-0 second-round series lead over the Florida Panthers.
That series lead turned into a 2-2 tie, but the Maple Leafs returned home with a chance to take a series lead over the defending Stanley Cup champions. Instead, Toronto was utterly embarrassed, losing 6-1 to the Panthers.
Fans were furious at the showing from the Maple Leafs, with two fans throwing jerseys onto the ice while others exited before the game even ended.
Is it time for the Maple Leafs to panic after Game 5 blowout loss to Panthers?
Absolutely the Maple Leafs should be panicking. They had this series in the bag after the first two games. They were even playing well in Game 3. However, after falling in overtime to Brad Marchand and the Panthers, the momentum shifted from Toronto to Florida. In Game 4, the Maple Leafs were shut out 2-0 by the Panthers and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
But Wednesday night, the Maple Leafs no-showed. They had no life on the ice and showed no fight. Despite being down 1-0 in the second period with a chance to get back into the game, the Leafs watched as Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist, and Niko Mikkola score in the span of about eight minutes to extend their lead to 4-0. Toronto had no luck in the third period, as a goal by A.J. Greer extended Florida's lead to 5-0, and goaltender Joseph Woll was pulled for Matt Murray.
The Maple Leafs need to wake up. Specifically, their star have to. Auston Matthews hasn't scored a single goal in 10 playoff games against the Panthers in his career. That's quite damning. Mitch Marner has gone pointless in Games 4 and 5 despite notching four points in Games 1-3. William Nylander couldn't hit the scoresheet either in Games 4 and 5, despite recording six points through the first three games.
If the Maple Leafs that showed in Game 5 show up for Game 6 on Friday night, their season will end. The Maple Leafs should be panicking. As for the fans, they have seen this movie one too many times, and know how this will end.
Maple Leafs panic meter: 10 out of 10