3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 2-0 shutout loss in Game 4 against Florida Panthers feat. Jake McCabe

The Toronto Maple Leafs were on the wrong end of a 2-0 blanking at the hands of the Florida Panthers in Game 4 on Sunday night.

The Panthers got goals from Carter Verhaeghe (PPG) and Sam Bennett to cruise to the win. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for the shutout. With the Leafs’ loss, the series is now tied at two games apiece.

Meanwhile. Joseph Woll was brilliant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, making 35 saves in the losing effort.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the three least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs from their Game 4 shutout loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.

3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from Game 4 loss to Florida Panthers

#3 Pontus Holmberg

Pontus Holmberg could be on the outside looking in for Game 5 - Source: Imagn

Pontus Holmberg’s ice time continues to dwindle as he slides down the Toronto Maple Leafs’ depth chart. In Game 3, Holmberg skated a team-low 8:36 across 11 shifts. He did not register a shot on goal while delivering two hits in the game.

Holmberg has just one assist in 10 games this postseason. He has yet to show a meaningful presence in the Leafs’ bottom six, leading to questions about his place in the lineup moving forward.

#2 Bobby McMann

Bobby McMann is another bottom-six forward who has yet to provide any meaningful contributions in the series against the Florida Panthers. McMann had a successful regular season, topping 20 goals, but has been unable to transfer that success into the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

In Game 4, he skated for nearly 11 across 17 shifts, briefly getting a look on the top line as Matthew Knies momentarily left the game to get repairs on one of his skates.

Like Holmberg, McMann’s place in the lineup has been called into question. Considering the Toronto Maple Leafs’ back-to-back losses in Florida, Craig Berube may opt to shuffle his lineup by replacing either Holmberg or McMann with Nick Robertson.

#1 Jake McCabe

Two crucial lapses by Jake McCabe led to both Florida goals in Game 4 - Source: Imagn

Jake McCabe has been generally reliable as a shutdown defender all season long. Unfortunately, he had a tough game on Sunday night, being in the thick of both Florida goals.

In the first period, McCabe’s inability to cover Carter Verhaeghe led to the Panthers’ opening goal. Here’s a look:

McCabe was slow to get across the ice, leaving Verhaeghe wide open to get the goal. Then, McCabe completely missed covering Sam Bennett in the third period, leading to the Panthers' second, back-breaking goal:

The replay showed how Chris Tanev motioned McCabe to cover Bennett as he fell back to cover the far side of the net. Instead, McCabe failed to pick up Bennett, giving him all the time and space to fake a shot on Joseph Woll and then bury the puck home.

The Leafs and Panthers will now head back to Toronto for Game 5 on Wednesday night, as both clubs look to take a crucial 3-2 series lead.