Hockey: Leafs unravel with only one more chance to right the ship

Craig Berube is quickly learning that coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs means expecting chaos — and disappointment — even when things seem to be going well. After taking a 3-1 lead in Game 3 and coming close to a commanding 3-0 series advantage over the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Leafs collapsed. Game 4 was their worst effort of the playoffs, a lifeless performance that erased any momentum. Still, Berube, in his first season behind Toronto’s bench, had reason to hope for a bounce-back. That’s what good teams do.

Toronto, winners of the Atlantic Division ahead of powerhouses like Tampa Bay and Florida, should be that kind of team. Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk even acknowledged earlier in the series that the Leafs had the better regular season and, on paper, deserved to be the favorites. In hindsight, that quote may have been less of an observation and more of a jab.

Instead of rising to the occasion in Game 5, with a chance to avoid falling into a 3-2 series deficit, the Leafs came out flat at home. Their performance was disjointed, lethargic, and uninspired — the kind of outing that left fans wondering how a team with so much talent could be so listless when the stakes were highest.

The Maple Leafs’ postseason identity has become so predictable that only metaphors can convey the frustration. They’re Charlie Brown with the football, always ending up flat on their back. They’re Wile E. Coyote perpetually outwitted and outmatched. Each spring brings a new variation of the same painful script.

At least this year’s version offered a slight twist. Instead of a quick first-round exit, the Leafs advanced — only the second time in nine playoff appearances. And unlike last year’s sweep by Florida, they opened this series with two promising wins. For a brief moment, it looked like this year might be different.

It wasn’t. The Leafs unraveled, dropping three straight games, including a Game 5 blowout that wasn’t as close as the 6-1 score suggested. Toronto was thoroughly outplayed in the first period, outshot 13-6, and their goaltender, Joseph Woll, gave up five goals on 25 shots before getting pulled. With Anthony Stolarz unavailable, Woll remains their only option — not an ideal situation.

What’s most confounding is that this team isn’t the same as previous years. They’ve made changes — new coach, revamped defense, and veteran leadership. Yet the same core problem persists: their stars go quiet when it matters most. Auston Matthews hasn’t scored in 10 straight second-round games. Mitch Marner has vanished offensively. Nylander and Tavares, after strong starts, have faded. The power play has gone cold.

Berube will likely shake things up for Game 6. He has no choice. But like his predecessors, he’s left tinkering around the edges, unable to solve the central issue: Toronto’s stars don’t deliver when everything is on the line.

There’s one more shot tonight. But no one could blame Leafs fans if they’ve already braced for the ending they’ve seen too many times before.

Reno Silva/MS