Toronto Maple Leafs hold players-only meeting after devastating Game 5 loss
The Toronto Maple Leafs are searching for answers.
After a devastating 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers that has put them on the brink of elimination, in which fans were throwing jerseys on the ice and exiting the arena early, the Leafs players seem to understand the magnitude of the expectations placed on them.
As shared by the Toronto Sun‘s Lance Hornby, the Leafs held a players-only meeting at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night, while head coach Craig Berube is planning another all-hands-on-deck for when they arrive in Florida on Thursday.
Leaf players had a post game confab after last night's washout, Berube plans a team meeting tonight when they arrive in Florida.
— Lance Hornby 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@sunhornby) May 15, 2025
There have been many players-only meetings held in the history of sports, and very few of them have ever been when the team was in good spirits. Typically, they’re a sign of a put-up-or-shut-up moment, which couldn’t be truer for what Toronto is facing right now.
For this iteration of the Leafs, there’s only one way to advance in the playoffs: win the next two games. Otherwise, the team risks seeing the season end in the first or second round for the ninth season in a row.
While many players have come and gone for Toronto over the past decade, fans have gotten used to seeing Leafs captain Auston Matthews, as well as Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly, all be dealt a similar hand come postseason time.
“Nothing we can do now. We got to put our best foot forward, look in the mirror and just be better. I think everybody’s got to look in the mirror, myself included; everybody wants to be better. Everybody wants to obviously win. And we’ve been a great road team all season long,” Matthews told reporters on Wednesday night.
Toronto and Florida face off on Friday night for a pivotal Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena, where they’ll either extend their season or head into yet another summer longer than they’d hoped.
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