The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently dangling off the playoff cliff like a cat in a motivational poster, claws slipping, eyes wide, while the Florida Panthers hover above with a smug grin and a pair of scissors.
After storming out of the gate in the second-round series, the Leafs now find themselves down 3-2, having dropped three straight games in a fashion that can only be described as “peak Toronto.” Game 5 wasn’t just a loss — it was a full-blown catastrophe. A 6-1 drubbing at home had fans doing what they do best: questioning every life decision that led them to support this team.
So the question now is: Can the Leafs force Game 7?
Let’s Be Honest: It’s Grim, But Not Impossible
Sure, our very own writer Tara Finn didn’t believe in the Maple Leafs in her round two predictions. But this team does have talent. On paper, they’re a hockey juggernaut. However, maybe we need to start saving some trees and stop using paper? Recently, the only thing they’ve been clear-cutting is fan optimism. Auston Matthews still hasn’t scored in this series — he’s gone into the Canadian witness protection program. Mitch Marner, meanwhile, has been talking about Matthews’ “demeanour,” which is a lot like complimenting the Titanic’s upholstery as it sinks.
Coach Craig Berube didn’t sugarcoat things after the Game 5 meltdown. “They outskated us… they were hungrier,” he said. Translation: The Panthers looked like they wanted a Stanley Cup. The Leafs looked like they wanted a snack, a nap, and maybe book a tee-time at RattleSnake Point Golf Club.
The Stakes Are Higher Than Marner’s Next Contract
And speaking of Marner — if this is his swan song in Toronto, it’s currently sounding more like a sad grade 3 recorder solo, squeaks and squaks, and everyone pretending it sounds fine. It’s fine.
Rumors are swirling that he could walk in free agency, and if the Leafs go out with a whimper in Game 6, there’s a good chance this iteration of the core — the “Core Four” that Leafs fans have pinned their hopes on for what feels like a decade — could disappear as quickly as a no look, backhand, spin-o-rama, into the ether.
So… Any Hope?
Sure. There’s always hope. This is hockey, and strange things happen. The Maple Leafs could suddenly remember how to skate, how to shoot, and maybe even how to play defense. Joseph Woll could stand on his head in net, the top lines could catch fire, and Toronto could ride a wave of momentum into Game 7.
Or… they could completely implode. Again. As they have for the last 57 seasons. My twoonie is on that.
But here’s the thing — that’s why we watch. The chaos. The heartbreak. The potential for redemption. Maybe, just maybe, the Leafs will get off the mat, look the Panthers square in the eyes, and say, “Not today!” Only to give Leaf Nation some hope and eventually trash their dreams again. Why? Because that’s the Toronto way. Wash and repeat.
Prediction:
The Leafs win Game 6 just to toy with their fans’ emotions one more time. Game 7? Flip a coin. It’s the Leafs — insert the legendary Forest Gump quote about chocolate, and you never know what you’re going to get. But deep down, we do, don’t we?
