Toronto Maple Leaf fans hoping their team would survive Friday night's contest and continue their quest for the Stanley Cup were disappointed. The visiting Florida Panthers beat the hosting Leafs 3-2 in overtime in Game 5 to win their second-round playoff series 4-1.
Fans packed Maple Leaf Square outside Scotiabank Arena throughout the series, and after Wednesday's win, many were ready and willing to believe in the team's chances despite the steep odds.
“We played well. We could have played better, but it was not the worst,” said Amena Badat of Mississauga. She and her friends from Toronto were among the several students in blue at Maple Leaf Square’s tailgate event.
A shot from Morgan Rielly pushed past Sergei Bobrovsky’s goal line but the officials deemed the play dead prior to the puck crossing the line, keeping the Leafs from tying with the Panthers in the second period.
“There was some under-the-table business going on. That goal should have counted. ... Toronto’s going to be pretty disappointed with Scotiabank Arena’s referees," said Badat. “But I know that everyone, deep down, is happy that we’ve come this far.”
The overtime winner was a heartbreaker for some, but fan Quinn Oliver took it in stride.
“That ending can’t be helped. That’s just unlucky,” said the 16-year-old Torontonian. “I think maybe the defencemen were backchecking. He got held a little bit, and that’s how (Florida) scored.
“You just have to take the loss on the chin sometimes. The Leafs played a good game. Maybe that Rielly goal should have counted, but that’s just how the game goes sometimes, right?”
Moving into next season, Oliver said the Leafs need to get younger and faster on defence.
“We’ve got a bunch of youth and a bunch of speed in the forward core, but we got a bunch of old guys on defence," he said. "It shows sometimes how slow they are on the backcheck.”
“But," Oliver added, "I think Toronto is going to know that the Leafs went out playing hard. They went with a bang.”
Ryan Bonner and his son, Conner, fans from Hamilton, had a more critical take. They said that even from the first period there was no hustle in the Leafs' game.
“We were hoping we could come out of here with a little bit of grit. Hopefully, we can do something in the second period,“ said Ryan.
Conner, meanwhile, said the Leafs could have fought harder for the puck.
Asked how the team would recover from falling out of the second round, Ryan said the team's leadership should be fired.
As for trades? The Bonners suggested getting rid of Matthews, Marner and Nylander and making a bid -- albeit far-fetched -- for the likely top draft pick, Connor Bedard. The Chicago Blackhawks won the recent draft lottery and have the first overall pick in this year's entry draft.
This was the Leafs' first trip beyond the first round since 2004 after taking out the Tampa Bay Lightning, a Stanley Cup finalist last season, in six games.
Toronto also avoided getting swept in a best-of-seven series for the first time since 1979 thanks to a win on Wednesday, but coming all the way back from a 3-0 hole proved too great a challenge.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2023.
The Canadian Press
Note to readers: A previous version of this story misspelled Morgan Rielly, Sergei Bobrovsky and Connor Bedard's names.
