Leafs Crumble in Game 5 as Panthers Take Control of Series
Florida dominates in 6–1 win; Toronto faces elimination in Game 6
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs are now one loss away from elimination after a lopsided 6–1 defeat to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The Panthers asserted control from start to finish, building a 3–0 lead through two periods and never looking back. Florida received goals from six different players, including Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett, and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Toronto’s only response came late in the third period, when Nicholas Robertson broke Sergei Bobrovsky’s shutout bid with a goal at 18:54, assisted by Max Domi and Scott Lorentz.
Joseph Woll got the start in net for Toronto but was pulled after allowing five goals on 27 shots. Matt Murray took over in relief, giving up one goal on seven shots.
The Leafs’ offense continued to sputter, generating plenty of zone time but failing to beat Bobrovsky until the dying minutes.
With the Panthers now leading the series 3–2, the Leafs will need to regroup quickly and avoid elimination when the series shifts back to Florida for Game 6 on Friday night.
Game 6:
📍 Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
🕖 Friday, May 16 – 8:00 PM ET
📺 Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports, TNT
🏒 GTA Today Sports — your source for comprehensive coverage of Toronto’s playoff journey.
