The lights couldn’t be brighter, and the noise couldn’t be any louder after the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t just lose Game 5, they were humiliated.
On home ice at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, the Leafs delivered one of their worst performances of the season in front of their fans, falling 6-1 to the Florida Panthers. They now trail the second-round series 3-2, with Game 6 set for Friday in Sunrise.
It was the kind of night Toronto fans have come to dread, boos raining down as the team headed to the dressing room trailing 4-0 after two, jerseys tossed onto the ice, and fans heading for the exits with half of the third period still left to be played.
‘I Don’t Think We Gave Them Much Reason To Stick Around’: Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs React To Boos, Fans Leaving During Game 5 Blowout By the time the Florida Panthers scored their sixth goal midway through the third period on Wednesday night, Scotiabank Arena had become a sea of empty seats. However, fans began the booing and heading for the exits late in the second period when Florida made it 4-0.
Outside the building, the criticism and noise have understandably gotten louder. Social media can be a double-edged sword, and after Wednesday’s performance, it’s been overwhelmingly negative. Fans have voiced their frustrations – fed up with another no-show in the Stanley Cup Playoffs – basically declaring the series over.
That noise, both inside and outside the city, is nothing new to anyone in the Leafs dressing room. But with the team still alive and fighting to force a Game 7 on home ice Sunday, head coach Craig Berube is urging his players to take a step back and block it all out.
“I always tell them that,” Berube said Thursday when asked about players staying off social media. “Whether they do it or not, that's their choice. If you want to look at things, you look at things. I mean, I can't control what they do, but yeah, what we need to do is they need to stick together tonight as a team and take a breath and stop thinking about the game tonight.”
“Relax, we'll get thinking about the game the next day. When it matters. It boils down to a few things that we need to make sure that we have in the game. Aggressive, compete, puck battles. Enjoying the moment. This is what guys play for, and you have to enjoy it. Don't overthink the game,” he added.
Maple Leafs Fans Toss Jerseys Onto The Ice During Game 5 Debacle Against Panthers At Scotiabank ArenaThere was supposed to be a strong pushback on home ice from the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 after dropping two straight to the Florida Panthers, evening up the second-round series. Instead, it turned into one of the most humiliating playoff performances in the ‘Core Four’ era, and the frustration boiled over from the club’s fans accordingly.
Veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly, the longest-tenured Leaf, said tuning out the noise is something each player handles in their own way. The 31-year-old has been through nearly every version of playoff heartbreak in a Leafs jersey, from blown series leads to Game 7 exits, and he knows better than most how loud the outside noise can get when things go sideways in Toronto.
“Everyone's different. For me, I think it's pretty simple,” Rielly said. “But I think ultimately our group just has to do what we have to do to get ready to play. So, again, for me, I think it's pretty straightforward. I think that our guys are just going to stick together today and just get ready for them all. We're still in a position where we're right in the fight. We've got to go down there. We've got to play our best game.”
Berube, who won a Stanley Cup as a head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 2019, is no stranger to blocking out distractions at this time of the year. The now-Leafs coach is leading the charge in putting his best foot forward, confirming the team would meet later Thursday after arriving in Florida to regroup ahead of a must-win Game 6.
And with the season on the line, Berube wants the Leafs to keep it simple.
“You have to skate. You've got to compete. It's going to be physical. We know that. It's tight. And take the thinking out. Go play. Be aggressive. You can't not be aggressive. You have to be aggressive,” Berube said.
“You've got to get numbers in there. And then, like I said, the system and the structure takes care of the thinking. That's what I want them to do. Like, go out and play hockey. Play with structure, but be aggressive,” he added.
'We'll Be A Lot Better': Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Urges Players To Stop Overthinking Ahead of Game 6 Vs. PanthersIf there's anything Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube wants to see out of his players in a do-or-die Game 6 against the Florida Panthers, it's that they're not overthinking things.
After a no-show in Game 5, Leafs fans have seen this movie before – and one too many times, it seems. A promising start was followed by a sudden collapse in a playoff series, raising familiar doubts about the team’s ability to handle pressure when it matters most.
With that in mind, what’s the message to Leafs fans?
“Well, believe like our team believes,” Berube said. “I think that's all you can do.”
At this point, it’s a tall ask for a fan base that’s been let down before, more than once, but the reality is that the Leafs still have life. And in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that’s all a team needs.
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