The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the second-round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Mitch Marner waltzed on the scene here nearly nine years ago, capturing the hearts and minds of Maple Leafs fans as a hometown kid with boundless imagination and energy. His final act as a celebrated star at Scotiabank Arena may ultimately be remembered for a dance of a much darker variety after he inexplicably spun off a defender in his own zone and tossed a no-look backhand pass up the middle of the ice to open the floodgates for the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves, three Florida defensemen scored and the Panthers routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. The defending champion Panthers scored three times in a 7:53 span of the second period to pull away for their third straight victory.

Matthew Tkachuk turned his attention to William Nylander, pointing from the bench and shouting, “Guess who I’m going to get,” Tkachuk said. “I’m going to get you.” Asked about the interaction, Nylander remained calm and was playful while addressing Tkachuk's comments.

Toronto is teetering on the delicate line between wanting to show that it won't back down and taking things too far against Florida.

Steve Dangle, a popular Maple Leafs analyst and podcaster, believes the team could be battling a widespread illness. Dangle explained his theory while speaking after Toronto’s 2-0 Game 4 loss. The analyst believes and is convinced that something must be affecting players behind the scenes.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading back home for Game 5 of their second-round playoff series with the Florida Panthers tied 2-2. Toronto dropped both games on the road in Florida, seeing their quick 2-0 lead disappear just as fast.