After conceding an early series lead, the Leafs look to break the 2-2 tie as they take on the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of this series of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Follow live commentary from the Star’s Bruce Arthur.
Misfires and misconducts: The Maple Leafs and Panthers know each other too well heading into Game 5
Mitch Marner didn鈥檛 have a single shot on goal in two losses in Florida: 鈥淓veryone wants to produce. We鈥檝e had opportunities, we鈥檝e had looks. They just haven鈥檛 dropped yet.鈥欌
Claus Andersen/Getty ImagesA half-beat slow on shots goes a long way toward explaining 1-for-8 on the power play in the last two games.
Twenty-nine shots that missed the net entirely goes a long way toward explaining back-to-back losses and the Florida Panthers rising from the 0-2 grave they鈥檇 dug for themselves against the Maple Leafs.
Zero shots for Mitch Marner across the brace of games at Amerant Bank Arena.
The reek of Game 4 has followed the team to Toronto. They鈥檙e verbally spritzing the air freshener.
Goalie Anthony Stolarz, who hasn’t played since聽an elbow to the head聽in Game 1, worked with assistant coach Curtis Sanford before Tuesday’s practice.
Goalie Anthony Stolarz, who hasn’t played since聽an elbow to the head聽in Game 1, worked with assistant coach Curtis Sanford before Tuesday’s practice.
From a distance and with the benefit of slo-mo review, spared the vexation of being harassed and hounded by an opponent of signature physicality, it鈥檚 easy for the rest of us聽鈥 fans watching anxiously at home and the chattering commentariat聽鈥 to spot how the Leafs got themselves into a knotted pickle where 15 minutes ago they appeared in strong control of their Atlantic Division series.
Too deliberate with the man advantage for one thing, looking for that high-leverage shot. Split-second hesitation that gives defenders time to drop a block, impede with a stick; for the goalie to track and set positionally. Insufficient net-front mayhem.
They know it. They鈥檝e been schooled in it by coach Craig Berube throughout the playoffs. They鈥檝e had an extra day between games to watch the video.
But still the hand-wringing questions are being asked: What the heck are they doing? Where have the smart, savvy Leafs gone?
Let Marner answer.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to make us really work, doing to us what we鈥檙e trying to do to them. Trying to skate us out, make us tired, and then make plays underneath us.鈥欌
On Tuesday morning, following a full-on practice, Marner was attempting to decipher the wayward power play on which he鈥檚 the fifth forward聽鈥 Berube has gone with that format all year. No shots off his stick as the primary playmaker setting up the gunslingers clearly aggravates. He needs to generate more shots, which is precisely the gospel that Berube has continuously preached. Yet his snipers aren鈥檛 sniping.
鈥淭rying to get yourself in better areas,鈥欌 said Marner of the wayward PP. 鈥淚 tried to get shots through in the last game. They did a good job of blocking them. Myself, trying to work around it, trying to find sticks a lot of the time 鈥 cause havoc down low, that鈥檚 what my game is.鈥欌
Muscular Florida D-men, especially the monstrous pairing of Niko Mikkola and Seth Jones, have thwarted the Leafs time after time.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e lengthy, they鈥檙e strong, they鈥檙e big,鈥欌 said Leaf Matthew Knies, who could just as easily be describing himself. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how their whole D-corps is built. But that鈥檚 almost every NHL team these days. Obviously I鈥檓 a bigger player and stronger, so being around the net is the best place for me. It鈥檚 where the goals are scored, especially in the playoffs and that鈥檚 definitely one of my jobs.鈥
鈥淭he Grade A鈥檚 aren鈥檛聽really there as much,鈥欌 Knies added of top-quality scoring opportunities, in particular when the Panthers have a lead and settle into their hard forecheck deny-deny-deny posture. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to execute and bury the puck when we do get those chances.鈥欌
Pressure to score has landed hard on Auston Matthews, who鈥檚 yet to turn the light red against Florida. He鈥檚 the captain, he makes the big bucks聽鈥 more than anyone else in the NHL聽鈥 and he should be the straw that stirs the drink. It鈥檚 obvious, however, that something is physically amiss and has been this entire season, and possibly he reinjured his hand blocking a shot in the Ottawa series. If so, it hasn鈥檛 bothered him in the faceoff circle, but he was leading all playoff skaters with 23 missed shots in 10 games. That鈥檚 weirdly un-Auston.
鈥淓veryone wants to produce,鈥欌 said Marner. 鈥淓veryone wants to score goals, especially Auston. He doesn鈥檛 let it get down on him. His mood, his energy, his demeanour in the locker room has been unbelievable through it all. Just got to stay patient. This is a hard team to score against. We鈥檝e had opportunities, we鈥檝e had looks. They just haven鈥檛 dropped yet.鈥欌
And, frankly, they played mighty dumb in Game 4: seven penalties, four in the first period 鈥斅爐hree of them undisciplined and the fourth a sloppy puck over the glass. It will be intriguing to see whether Berube makes any lineup changes, perhaps swapping in Nick Robertson, who has his drawbacks but also presents more offensive skill.
As well, everyone is wondering whether the nastiness at the buzzer Sunday聽鈥 misconducts issued to Max Domi, Bobby McMann, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad聽鈥 will spill over into Wednesday’s Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena. The series was always thumping and snot-nosed; now it鈥檚 full metal jacket malevolent.
Max Domi's hit on Sasha Barkov sparks chaos at the final horn
鈥 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet)
The lingering image from Florida鈥檚 five-game dispatch of the Leafs two springs ago was Radko Gudas (long gone now) roaring like the MGM lion in the face of Joseph Woll after the overtime goal that eliminated Toronto.
What sticks in the craw at the moment, menacingly, is Matthew Tkachuk leaning toward William Nylander on the bench at the end of Game 4, pointing his stick at Toronto鈥檚 leading goal scorer and saying 鈥斅燼ccording to lip readers聽鈥 鈥淚鈥檓 going to get you.鈥欌
Perpetually mellow Nylander wasn鈥檛 fazed then. Berube isn鈥檛 worried now.
鈥淗e probably didn鈥檛 hear him. He doesn鈥檛 even hear me.鈥欌
Maple Leafs notebook: Stolarz takes shots, Tkachuk鈥檚 Nylander taunt misses target
Leafs forward William Nylander gets in some work during Tuesday’s well attended optional practice at the Ford Performance Centre ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 5 against the Florida Panthers.
Andrew Francis Wallace/海角社区官网StarAfter a lacklustre Game 4 that saw the Maple Leafs get shut out on the road by the Florida Panthers, Tuesday鈥檚 optional practice at the Ford Performance Centre was understandably all business.
In fact, it was optional in name only. Blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the only Leaf from Sunday鈥檚 lineup who didn鈥檛 take part, and that was because of illness.
The most intriguing sight was goalie Anthony Stolarz, who hasn鈥檛 played since an elbow to the head by Florida鈥檚 Sam Bennett in Game 1. Stolarz took shots from goaltender coach Curtis Sanford prior to practice.
It's harder to score in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has become Exhibit A
海角社区官网Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews during an optional practice at the Ford Performance Centre in Toronto, May 13, 2025.
Andrew Francis Wallace/海角社区官网StarMike Bossy聽and Mario Lemieux. That鈥檚 the extent of the list of players who rank ahead of聽Maple Leafs听肠补辫迟补颈苍听Auston Matthews听颈苍听聽in the modern era.
Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy. Those are the two players atop the聽
And where does Matthews sit on that esteemed list? Spoiler alert: It鈥檚 not third. That鈥檇 be Barry Pederson. It鈥檚 not fourth, fifth nor sixth. That鈥檚 Maurice Richard, Cam Neely and聽Wayne Gretzky.
The Maple Leafs didn鈥檛 just lose two games in Florida, they let the Panthers rediscover their game
Florida Panthers players clash with 海角社区官网Maple Leafs players after Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.聽
(AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)They were staying at an oceanside hotel and some among the group spoke of the restorative value of a dose of sun and sand, but to a man the Maple Leafs characterized their long weekend by the Atlantic seaside as strictly a business trip.
Considering how they turned a 2-0 series lead into a 2-2 series deadlock in their best-of-seven second-round matchup with the Florida Panthers, let鈥檚 just say Toronto鈥檚 once-bustling playoff-hockey business went bust on the beach. After blowing a pair of two-goal leads before losing Game 3 in overtime, most of the Maple Leafs showed up way late to Sunday鈥檚 Game 4.
If not for a stellar performance in goal from Joseph Woll, who kept the Leafs in a game in which they were badly out-shot, out-skated and out-chanced, it鈥檚 possible the Leafs would have lost in an embarrassing blowout. As it was, the Panthers eked out a 2-0 win that didn鈥檛 do justice to the extent of their superiority.
Read the full column from Star sports columnist Dave Feschuk
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