Auston Matthews doesn't mince words about Maple Leafs teammates' performances in humiliating Game 7 loss to Panthers

A hauntingly familiar sight for Toronto Maple Leafs fans saw Auston Matthews and Co. go down 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. The Leafs conceded thrice in the second period in a disappointing display in front of their home fans at Scotiabank Arena.

With the first period ending scoreless, fans probably thought it would be a repeat of Game 6 where both teams' defensive abilities was tested as the Leafs won 2-0. But things changed after the first intermission.

Seth Jones, Anton Lundell and Jonah Gadjovich scored within 9:39 of the second period to signal the collapse of the Leafs defence. They outshot the home team 17-5 with little action from the Leafs' elite Core Four.

Leafs captain Auston Matthews commented about the game's flow, noting that while the first period was evenly matched, his team imploded in the remainder of the game.

"I thought we were ready to play. Felt like we were in a good mindset. First 10 minutes, they came out strong. Next 10 minutes, I thought we controlled play. Then I thought we had too many passengers throughout the rest of the game and just weren't on the same page.

"They get a couple goals and momentum like that, and then you're chasing the game, and it's hard to get it back when you're down three against a good team that plays sound defensively like them," Matthews said.

Max Domi scored one early on in the third for Toronto, but Florida restored its three-goal lead 47 seconds later through Eetu Luostarinen. Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand provided the final touches to complete an emphatic road win to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

It was the Leafs' seventh consecutive Game 7 loss as their quest for ending their 58-year Stanley Cup drought continues.

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Mitch Marner agrees with Auston Matthews' choice of words

The choice of words by Auston Matthews was relayed by journalists to his teammate Mitch Marner. The Leafs' alternate captain agreed with the 27-year-old Matthews while also mentioning that the team needs to have greater accountability if they want success.

"That's the right wording I would say, as well," Marner said. "Can't have passengers in a Game 7. So it just su**s. We all gotta hold ourselves to a higher accountability, and we all need to be better."

Both Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews delivered subpar performances in the series, especially after taking a 2-0 lead. Their sole points contribution in the last four games, three of which Florida won, was the first goal in Game 6.