$65,408,000 Maple Leafs star doesn't mince words about 'outside noise' over abysmal Game 5 loss 

Mitch Marner shared his thoughts after the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 win in Game 6 against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. The win forced a Game 7 in the second-round playoff series.

After a disappointing 6-1 loss in Game 5, the Leafs faced heavy criticism. When asked about the outside noise, Marner said the team didn’t care. He added the players trusted each other and focused on their game.

"Like we've talked about all year, we don't care," Marner said. "We just go out there and do our thing. That's what you love about this team. There's a lot of trust in that locker room with one another.

"It was a great morning skate, like I spoke about, and we carried it into the game," Marner said. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We knew we weren't going to get many looks. What we loved was staying patient with our game. Couple big kills to start, and just stuck with it and got the result," he added.

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Marner's comments followed harsh words from former Maple Leafs player Jay Rosehill aimed at him. Rosehill said Marner disappears when the pressure increases. He criticized Marner for not getting a single shot in Games 3 and 4.

After Game 5, Rosehill posted on X/Twitter:

"Marner can play the game one way and one way only. When the going gets tough, a no look spin around backhand up the middle is all he has to offer. It’s impossible to win playoff hockey with that. The harder it gets, the worse he gets. Nothing will change my mind"

Marner is currently in the last year of his contract, signed in 2019, which is worth $65.4 million over six years. If not extended, he will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Maple Leafs forward helps score opening goal

In Game 6, Mitch Marner had an assist, two hits and two blocked shots. He helped force a turnover that led to Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews' opening goal. The effort came after fans criticized him for a bad turnover in Game 5.

Marner now has one goal and four assists in the second-round series. In 12 playoff games, he has two goals and 11 assists. Additionally, He had a strong regular season with 27 goals and 75 assists. His 102 points made him the team’s top scorer. Meanwhile, Joseph Woll stopped 22 shots for his first career playoff shutout.

Game 7 takes place at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.