“We stood around and watched,” that’s exactly how Maple Leafs’ coach Craig Berube summed up their brutal 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5. Then he hit everyone with some real talk: “It’s more of a mindset for me going into this game six than anything else. It’s not X’s and O’s.” Even with the sting fresh, he gave props where it was due, saying, “They played a simple game tonight and they were excellent at it. Very good. I mean, they did exactly what they needed to do.” But hey, he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet: “We’ve responded in the past, you know, and I expect a response from our team.” No sugar-coating here, just cold, hard facts. Game 6 was basically the do-or-die wake-up call.

And oh man, Game 6 brought some heat! Joseph Woll stood tall with 22 saves, snagging his first-ever playoff shutout and helping the Leafs dodge elimination with a slick 2-0 win against the Panthers. But fast forward to Game 7, and things took a downturn. The Panthers were cruising with a 5-1 lead, making the comeback dream look super shaky. Now, Toronto fans are bailing, feeling the sting as Florida’s dominance ended the Maple Leafs’ playoff journey.

Spittin’ Chiclets hopped on X to drop a video showing Leafs fans slowly making their exit as the third period rolled in, and honestly, the comeback vibes were just nowhere to be found. They captioned it straight up, “Leafs fans have seen enough,” and yeah, the crowd was definitely thinning out fast, like people were dipping left and right.

Then David Pagnotta, the big boss over at The Fourth Period, shared his own clip with the caption, “Leafs fans are pissed… dude in white t-shirt (bottom left) tossed his hat and jersey in the ice mid-play.” Yup, right there on the rink, a hat and jersey just chilling on the ice while the ref skated over mid-game to scoop them up like it was no big deal. Total wild scene, and yeah, the frustration was real out there.

So, how was the game? Well, it was an all-out Panther party up in Toronto, and the Maple Leafs? Yeah, they just couldn’t hang. Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen were feeling spicy, each racking up a goal and two assists like they were hosting a hockey masterclass. Seth Jones jumped into the fun with a goal and a dish, Barkov was slinging passes like a wizard, and Bobrovsky? Man was a brick wall: 20 solid saves, not a single crack in sight. Florida came out flying in the second and just unleashed chaos. They straight-up outshot the Leafs 17-5, turned the rink into their own playground, and before Toronto knew what hit ‘em, it was 3-0 and the mood in Scotiabank Arena? Ice cold.

Max Domi tried to light a spark for the home crowd early in the third with a five-hole snipe, but Luostarinen shut that down real quick: less than a minute later, boom, it was 4-1. Sam Reinhart dropped another one in through traffic, and Marchand iced the cake with an empty-netter to seal the 6-1 finale. Panthers now skate into the Conference Finals like it’s tradition at this point, ready to dance with the Hurricanes again. And as for the Leafs? Let’s just say… that 0-7 record in their last seven Game 7s is still very much alive, and this was not the first that their fans walked out in that familiar silence.

Maple Leafs’ fans walk out once again!

A few days ago, the Florida Panthers were already cooking up a storm, tossing in a lil’ sprinkle of dominance, a pinch of Bobrovsky brilliance, and boom, hat trick of wins! Game 4? Sergei Bobrovsky went full-on goalie wizard, swatting away all 23 shots like a fly-swatting ninja in a 2-0 shutout masterpiece. But the party starter? That was Mr. Brad Marchand himself, who lit the fire in Game 3 with some straight-up overtime magic, tucking that beauty home at 15:27 to snatch a wild 5-4 thriller.

Fast forward to Game 5, and chaos was on the menu. The Panthers dropped six screamers, turned Scotiabank Arena into their personal jungle, and Leafs fans? They were so done. Like, jerseys-off, peace-out energy. Sportsnet even called it in real time, posting, “Fans are on their way out of the building as the Panthers score their sixth goal in Game 5.” And they weren’t capping. Cameras caught the great escape mid-game. Some fans just dipped, others made it theatrical, throwing jerseys onto the ice like emotional mic drops. B/R Open Ice piled on with, “A fan threw an Auston Matthews jersey on the ice in Toronto. The Leafs trail 5-0 and are close to being shut out for the 2nd straight game.” Yeah… it was bad.

And Auston? He kept it 100. When asked about fans booing and ghosting early, he didn’t dodge. He expressed: “I mean, I don’t think we give them much reason to stick around, so.” That one stung. Panthers were out there throwing a party, lighting up the scoreboard, while the Leafs looked like they forgot it was a playoff game.