Well this Sunday night none of us are coming back.
Sam Reinhart tagged the OT winner as the Panthers clinched Game 3 3-2 to take a 3-0 series lead
I don’t want to bury the dead, though. Make no mistake about it, the Leafs deserved their fate. It was absolutely awful, which for a variety of reasons, was absolutely disgusting.
Toronto started the scoring 2:26 when Sam Lafferty scored his first goal in a playoff game. However, it is indisputable that Jay Rosehill’s turning point in the game occurred in the second period when Ilya Samsonov was forced out after a collision with Carter Verhaeghe. Florida would score on the ensuing power play, and it’s been downhill from there. It should have been detonated.
Joseph Wall made 18 stops in relief. He was fine.
By the way, Eric Gustafsson scored the other goal for the Cards. Through three games, the Core Four have not scored a goal in the series.
The Leafs have won one game in regulation through their nine games here in the postseason. What a slack time.
Mozy Bakery:
no words
I will not lie. As I write this, I’m still shocked at what I saw on Sunday night. First, I think the Panthers deserve a lot of the credit. They were really good. Paul Morris has his team playing with a lot of pride and passion at the moment. However, I would say the same thing about The Leafs. Unfortunately, I can’t. As we’ve seen time and time again in pressure cooker situations, Toronto looked largely defeated by the puck drop. It seemed that the moment was too big for them. They were slow, lethargic, and flipping the disc like it was outdated. It was a train wreck. And madly, everyone else was too. Yes, the Panthers were too much pressure to handle, but there is no way I would let this team off the hook because of this pathetic show. Changes are coming.
Sami comes down
When it comes to frizziness, there is never a dull day in Leafs Nation. Sunday was no different. Honestly, there isn’t much to say here. It’s annoying that these guys keep getting hurt, but sadly, that’s what it is. Besides, it’s not like they don’t trust Joseph Wall or anything. He’s had a really good season in the AHL, and when he got invited, he’s been consistent with that team. That said, I thought he was fine for the third game. But honestly, it’s very difficult to analyze his outing because the team in front of him was so unlikable. That loss was not on the goalkeeper.
Fourth core
Just not good enough. As mentioned earlier, the combination of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares did not score in this series. Yes, this is a small problem. On top of that, Florida’s big boys were team makers. If you’re a Leaf, all you can do is take it one game at a time. The odds are stacked against them, but that’s why they play games, right? Just for good measure, we’ll have to wait an extra day to get out of our misery on Wednesday night in Game 4. I need a shot. Five of them actually.
Night highlight:
LAFF MAKES US GO!!! pic.twitter.com/8jTkVnQgsa
– Toronto Maple Leafs (MapleLeafs) May 7, 2023
What then?
Florida leads the series 3-0. Game four will take place on Wednesday night at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise.
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