In a high-stakes encounter like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, things can get out of hand very quickly. Ask the Toronto Maple Leafs, who suffered one such setback recently. They were up against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Despite having a 2-0 lead in the series, the Maple Leafs lost their way and bowed out of the tournament. With the side from Toronto suffering a disappointing 6-1 defeat yesterday, their coach, Craig Berube, made a shocking revelation.
After a keenly-contested first period, the Maple Leafs conceded three goals in the second period during the game yesterday. As hopes of a comeback fainted, the Maple Leafs fans began to boo the team, showing signs of frustration. Subsequently, during the post-game interview, Berube was asked if he would change ways after the disappointing loss against the Panthers.
He replied, “I think this team has fire, I mean like I said I can’t explain right now, or do I want to, five and seven at home, that’s you know it’s obviously things that we got to look at and talk about as an organization.”
Big Head Leafs/X
Meanwhile, the curse of Game 7 continued to haunt the Maple Leafs. It has been 7698 days since they last won the deciding game. Their last win came in 2004 against the Ottawa Senators in the ECQF. However, since then, they have suffered numerous defeats in the deciders, something which continued even yesterday.
On the other hand, it was Berube’s first Game 7 loss of his coaching career. Back in 2019, he led the St. Louis Blues to a couple of Game 7 wins during their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. However, with the loss yesterday, Berube’s glorious run in the deciders was ended by the Panthers. As a result, he even caught a frustrated look after the game yesterday.
Toronto Maple Leafs coach frustrated to see his winning streak end
Berube is one of the most respected coaches in the NHL world, having been around for a long time and experiencing the Stanley Cup win. Thus, watching his side being outplayed in the deciding game wasn’t something that he had expected. As a result, Berube was frustrated as his side exited the tournament.
He said, “I don’t know. That is the frustrating part. I thought we put ourselves in a good spot in both games coming home. We just had disappointing games, for sure. We go down there, win Game 6, and play extremely well. It is frustrating. I don’t have an answer for that question. Coming off that Game 6, we come home for Game 7 and are feeling really good. But they were the better team tonight. They were the more desperate team tonight. They were the more aggressive team tonight. That is what I take out of the game.”
With the unexpected loss, the Maple Leafs could have a major overhaul ahead of the next season. Their alternate captain, Mitch Marner, is set to enter free agency and could make his way out of the team. Can the Maple Leafs come back stronger and contend for the Stanley Cup title next season? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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