NHL insider weighs in on Maple Leafs' 'no-show' against Panthers in Game 5 - "Stunning meltdown in the biggest game of the year"

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a home Game 5, giving them a perfect chance to undo the sting of the last two games and move ahead with a 3-2 lead in the series. Instead, they were soundly beaten 6-1 and now have more questions than answers.

The Maple Leafs didn't even score until the third period, when the game was arguably in hand. Meanwhile, Joseph Woll allowed five goals and got pulled from the game in a dreadful outing.

The Florida Panthers have now won three in a row and have Toronto on the brink of collapse. Hockey insider Pierre LeBrun said he's never heard head coach Craig Berube sound as "shocked" as this before. He said on TSN (1:08):

"He doesn't carry all this baggage of the playoff years of the past with this core of the Toronto Maple Leafs team. He didn't live it. He heard about it. He probably watched some highlights of it. He was hired because of it. He lived it for the first time on this night. This was a stunning meltdown in the biggest game of the year."

LeBrun credited the NHL coach for blaming himself as well as the team, saying he also has to coach better:

"Let's be real — he probably cannot believe that all the preparation he's put in for this team and the way they've played for the most part in these playoffs, and they come out tonight in a game that is pivotal to this series and have a complete no-show."

The Leafs were riding high after an unbeaten start in the first two games of this Stanley Cup Playoffs series, but the tide has turned.

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Maple Leafs coach laments slow start in loss to Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs got outplayed last night, starting at the puck drop. They started poorly and never recovered from it, losing 6-1 in ugly fashion. It has them on the brink of a startling elimination.

Craig Berube called out the Maple Leafs (Imagn)

Head coach Craig Berube said via NHL:

“First period they outskated us really. They had the puck, won the races. We played slow. They were fast, honest, hungrier. That’s the first period and that sets the tone for the game. It’s hard to explain it, we all have to be better, myself included. You can’t start the game that way.”

The Leafs now must win both of the remaining games in this series if they hope to advance and take on either the Carolina Hurricanes or Washington Capitals.