The Toronto Maple Leafs delivered one of their worst playoff performances in recent memory on Wednesday night, unraveling in a to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second-round series.
A 2-0 series lead has now flipped into a 3-2 deficit, with the Leafs staring down another early postseason exit.
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Auston Matthews, who has now gone ten straight second-round games without a goal, spoke about the mindset of the team following the loss.
“I think everybody’s got to look in the mirror, myself included,” Matthews said. “Everybody wants to be better, everybody wants to, obviously, win.
“We’ve been a great road team all season long. There’s always going to be belief in this group and confidence in this group from what we’ve built off throughout the year.
“It’s got to be our best game of the year.”
On Wednesday, Matthews finished with a minus-2 rating, logging six shots, two blocks, and one hit through 18:06 of ice time.
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After failing to score in Game 5, Matthews, who has just three points in the series against the Panthers but none in the last two outings, has yet to score a goal against Florida this postseason.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) carries the puck against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena.John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The top of the Leafs’ lineup failed to show up again as none of Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, or John Tavares scored any point in Game 5.
Marner called it “sloppy play” and said the group gave away too many chances.
“Sloppy play. Not hard enough working. Giving away too many opportunities around our net. There’s a good list of it,” Marner said. “I don’t think anyone’s happy about it.”
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Now down 3-2, the Leafs will try to extend their season in Game 6 on Friday in Florida in what has turned into a must-win game for Toronto.
“We’ve got to win a game to keep our season alive,” Matthews said. “We’ve bounced back all year. It’s no different than now.”