Panthers End Toronto's Season with 6-1 Rout in Game 7
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By Nemanja Petković
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Summary:
- The Maple Leafs were eliminated in a 6-1 Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, ending their playoff run.
- Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner expressed frustration, while fans protested by throwing jerseys on the ice.
- With Marner’s contract expiring and leadership changes likely, Toronto faces a pivotal and uncertain offseason.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ season came to a bitter, all-too-familiar end on Sunday night, as they were overwhelmed 6-1 by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series.
With the Scotiabank Arena crowd looking for answers, and some fans hurling jerseys onto the ice, the Leafs once again exited the postseason in frustrating fashion.
Auston Matthews: “It’s Very, Very Frustrating.”
Toronto had a 2-0 series lead early on but faltered in three straight games before briefly clawing back in Game 6.
However, Sunday’s winner-take-all matchup spiraled at a fast pace, and the Leafs were not able to match Florida’s intensity from the opening faceoff.
A visibly frustrated Auston Matthews didn’t hold back post-game.
Just weren’t on the same page. It’s very, very frustrating.
His teammate Mitch Marner was equally emotional, adding
Sadness, obviously, depression. I don’t know, all of it.
Leafs head coach Craig Berube, still new to the job, was at a loss trying to explain the lifeless home-ice performance: “I don’t know. I don’t have an answer.”
Brad Marchand: “They Weren’t Able to Get a Whole Lot Going.”
Florida dominated in nearly every aspect. Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen each had a goal and two assists.
Marchand, who has haunted Toronto since his Boston days, summed it up simply: “They weren’t able to get a whole lot going.” Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves as the Panthers advanced to their third straight Eastern Conference Final.
Toronto’s lone goal came from Max Domi early in the third period, but Florida answered almost immediately.
By then, fans were booing, jerseys were being tossed, and the building had begun to empty out.
Berube was seen ripping into his bench after Florida scored three times in just over six minutes in the second period. Marner, helmet off and shouting, tried to light a fire under his teammates, but it was too late.
Now, the offseason looms, and major questions surround the Leafs’ core. Marner, set to become a free agent, reflected on his time in Toronto:
They took maybe a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto… Never taken a day for granted.
Captain John Tavares, also nearing the end of his contract, shared a message that may sum up the team’s mindset:
Never going to quit, never going to stop trying. We’d love another opportunity.
But after yet another Game 7 disappointment, that opportunity feels more uncertain than ever. Who will win the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup? Get all the best odds and more with selected NHL Canadian Sportsbooks.
