For the team that has built a name for fumbling with the puck in their most crucial moments, the Toronto Maple Leafs have put in some incredibly clutch performances in the last three games. The Leafs pull their act together just in time after nearly losing their 3-0 series lead against Ottawa. And now, the Leafs are rising to the occasion to take on the Florida Panthers physically head-on while edging out close wins. And while the defending champions struggle to solve the Leafs’ puzzle, the fans have highlighted their shortcoming.

After losing Game 1 in the second round, 3-4, the Panthers looked to take Game 2 and level the playing field. And they nearly succeeded before Mitch Marner hit a tremendous shot to clinch the win in the third. Meanwhile, The Hockey News writer David Dwork pointed out how the Panthers conceded way more than the projected figures ahead of the game. “Toronto’s expected goals for this game is 1.25. Sergei Bobrovsky needs to be better,” wrote Dwork.

“Yes, he’s made some big saves, but some of the goals he’s allowing are uncharacteristic,” added the reporter. However, the fans didn’t completely agree with the hockey writer’s take. They did agree that the 2017 Vezina Trophy winner hasn’t been at the top of his game. Yet they also pointed fingers at the several defensive lapses that allowed the Leafs to take control.

And it’s true. The Panthers’ defense has also not been firing on all cylinders. It’s surprising considering how well the defense held up, especially in the first two games against Tampa Bay. While the Toronto Maple Leafs topped the Atlantic division, it was the Lightning who led the entire league in offense.

The Lightning scored 292 times during the regular season but struggled to beat the Panthers’ defense early in Round 1. Unfortunately, that has not been the case when the Panthers faced the Leafs. And as Florida Panthers star Brad Marchand put it, the defense struggled, particularly in a specific area.

Florida Panthers struggle to contain the Leafs’ offense

Some fans were so furious that they blamed the whole team as well as the defense. “The team is terrible. A dumpster fire defensively,” commented one angry fan. Meanwhile, others were more nuanced. “The D in front of him should have played better. Not on Bob,” one fan commented matter-of-factly. And that’s because the observant Panthers fans also identified the problem Brad Marchand discussed in his post-game interview.

“Defense giving up a lot of rushes… Forsling looks gassed,” commented one fan, hitting the nail right on the coffin. While Marchand didn’t have time to spot if Gustav Forsling struggled to keep up, he explained that the entire defense needs to do better. “You know, their biggest threat is they’re very good on the rush,” said the NHL veteran. “It seemed like every time we gave them the opportunity to get above us, they created something or capitalized on it,” the Florida Panthers star added.

The defense’s not being able to double back quickly enough plagued the Panthers in Game 1. Unfortunately, Aaron Ekblad’s return from a two-game suspension didn’t make things tighter either. “D is SLOW! They need to get faster in the off-season. Not sure why they didn’t sign Montour and get rid of Ekblad,” argued one fan.

Yet, it was Aaron Ekblad who earned the crucial assist that momentarily leveled the playing field for the Florida Panthers. However, it’s difficult to understand why the fan argued for Brandon Montour instead of Ekblad. While Montour has scored more goals and points for the Kraken than Ekblad has for the Panthers this season, it’s not a fair comparison.

The Florida Panthers’ star defenseman played only 56 games compared to Montour’s 81 and still has more assists. So, time on ice has been Ekblad’s biggest problem, and his aggressive style has not helped either. The defenseman’s reckless elbow on Brandon Hagel saw him suspended for two playoff games shortly after returning from a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance-Enhancing Substances Program policy.

Finally, even those who agreed that Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t having the best time didn’t give the defense a free pass. “Last game on Bob, not this one. (Dimirty) Kulikov awful, (Matthew) Tkachuk passing awful, face-offs awful,” commented the fan. With that being said, the Florida Panthers’ goalie’s stats have been on a decline. After reaching a .900 (SV%) high against the Lightning on April 27, Bobrovsky’s SV% fell to .800 in Game 2 against the Leafs.

Yet, what do you think of the current situation? Tell us in the comments.