TORONTO — William Nylander leaned back, arms folded in a sombre locker room as he attempted to dissect what just transpired.
The Maple Leafs winger and his teammates have suffered plenty of demoralizing playoff defeats.
Game 7 losses. Missed opportunities. Compete no-shows in key moments.
An embarrassing 6-1 drubbing by the Florida Panthers in what was billed on the outside as the most important moment in careers of a talented Toronto core, a night that could have put to bed so many ugly narratives, will take its place alongside other disastrous results.
As bad as Wednesday was — the Leafs' 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven second-round series has morphed into a 3-2 deficit — the chance remains to pen a different ending.
"We have it in us," said the sharp-dressed Nylander. "We've just got to put it on the line."
Led by a nucleus that also includes Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly, Toronto will step back under the spotlight Friday in Sunrise, Fla., in hopes of forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 finale back home Sunday.
It's just difficult for many in the Original Six franchise's tortured fan base to envision after what went down Wednesday.
The Leafs started slow and never recovered against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers at Scotiabank Arena in Game 5. The group's battle level, structure and compete — hallmarks of head coach Craig Berube's approach across his first season in charge — melted away against a disciplined, no-nonsense, well-drilled opponent.
"There's nothing we can do now," said Matthews, in his freshman campaign as Toronto captain. "Look in the mirror and just be better."
Marner, a lightning rod of criticism for playoff failings following point-filled regular seasons throughout his Toronto career, threw a backhand, spin-o-rama pass up the middle in the second period. That puck was easily picked off and eventually ended up in the Leafs' net after Marner also lost his man in coverage for a 4-0 deficit.
"That wasn't close to good enough," the star forward and pending unrestricted free agent July 1 said of Toronto's performance top to bottom. "You flush it down the toilet."
Berube, who won the Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, has seen his team push back when challenged this season. The Leafs topped the Atlantic Division, won a franchise-record 25 times on the road, and haven't lost four in a row at any point in the schedule.
"We've responded in the past, and I expect a response from our team," Berube said of a group with one goal since the third period of Game 3. "We'll talk about things and make some adjustments."
He added tactics will only go so far against a Panthers roster that's made the final in back-to-back years and has won eight of its last nine playoff series. The Leafs, meanwhile, have advanced just twice in the post-season in the NHL's salary cap era.
"It's more of a mindset for me going into this Game 6 than anything else," Berube said. "It's not X's and O's. We know what they're doing."
Toronto defenceman Chris Tanev, a grassroots product of this hockey hotbed, said the way back in from the wilderness is straightforward — and a significant challenge.
"We need to match their desperation and their execution," he said. "They're playing to their game plan very well. That's why they're the Cup champs."
Matthews, who has battled injury in 2024-25 and is without a goal in 10 career post-season games against Florida dating back to a 4-1 second-round defeat in 2023, said the Leafs remain confident despite a daunting task under the shadow of soul-crushing playoff baggage.
"There's always going to be belief in this group," Matthews said. "It's got to be our best game of the year."
If that happens, it will come on the heels of their worst.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
