NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice talked about the pressure on Toronto Maple Leafs players (Source: Imagn)

Panthers HC Paul Maurice gives his opinion on scrutiny faced by Maple Leafs players after humiliating Game 7 loss

Modified May 19, 2025 05:24 GMT

The Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 on Sunday in front of their home crowd at Scotiabank Arena. This season, the Leafs were playing under a different coach, Craig Berube. They also had a new captain - Auston Matthews, but the outcome this season was again disappointing, another Game 7 loss to exit the playoffs.

After the game, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice was asked about the pressure on Leafs players. NHL insider Luke Fox shared Maurice’s answer on X. Maurice said the passion for the Leafs brings a lot of pressure. He explained that the attention the team gets is both good and bad.

"What's great for the league is hard for the Toronto Maple Leafs and their players, Maurice said. "The passion for the Toronto Maple, the scrutiny these men are under is why everybody else gets paid so much. It's a driver. There's a cost to it—for them. There's a challenge.

"...There's a cost for these guys, for their families. When you lose a game like this, it's going to be rough on them."

Maurice said even when players do things right, they still face criticism after a loss. He said that the Leafs are a strong team.

"This is a good team," Maurice said. "This is a much better team than we played two years ago. Much better. It's a much better team than we played 23 years ago in the conference final. This team is in that group of teams—like ours—where there's 11 this year. Then there's eight."

The former Leafs HC also said they’re one of the few teams with a real chance to win the Stanley Cup. But, this is something the Leafs have failed to win since 1967.

"They have a chance. That's one of those teams," Maurice said. "So, you're going to assign a whole bunch of character flaws just aren't true."

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Toronto Maple Leafs' recurring playoff failures

The Toronto Maple Leafs led the series 2-0 before losing four of the next five games. They haven’t reached the Eastern Conference final since 2002. Last postseason, they lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of round 1.

This year’s run started with a first-round win over the Senators. The Leafs survived a comeback to advance, but couldn’t hold their lead against Florida.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had several playoff collapses over the past two decades. They have won just two playoff series since 2004, and the Leafs fans are still waiting for a deep run.

About the author

Abhilasha is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda. Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, her interest in writing hockey was piqued after watching an NHL skills video on YouTube. The 2023 Stanley Cup Finale series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers was among the most iconic games she has seen and it left an impact on her.

Her reporting strengths include covering news stories and following stars like McDavid, Matthews and Alex Ovechkin, among others.

Abhilasha is a huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche because of their skilled forwards, while her favorite players include Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard. For her, John Tortorella is the greatest coach ever.

Abhilasha has over 3 years of experience writing content for different products and websites, along with handling social media content for various brands. She values using credible sources when writing and likes to identify fake and false narratives.

Abhilasha’s hobbies include spiritual reading, staying updated on the latest makeup trends, fitness and exploring new destinations through travel.

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