Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev is taking the blame after a 6-1 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday night.
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, 6-1. That blowout loss put Toronto on the brink of elimination despite starting the series with a 2-0 lead. Every part of the Leafs fell short on home ice with the chance to take a series lead. Chris Tanev took the blame for the Maple Leafs' loss and knows they have to get better to beat the Panthers.
“I'll take responsibility. I need to be better,” Tanev said, per TSN's Chris Johnston.
Tanev played 17:34 in Game 5, his lowest ice time of the entire playoffs. In his first season with the Maple Leafs, he has played some of the best games of any player this postseason. He and Jake McCabe have been the top pair for the Leafs all playoffs long and shut down Ottawa's best forwards in the first round.
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Every time the Maple Leafs have collapsed in the playoffs in the last eight years, the offense has shouldered the blame. With the elite young talent on the roster and some of their horrendous performances, it has been warranted. But an under-discussed part of the Leafs' playoff failures has been their defense.
Since last year's playoff failure against the Bruins, the Leafs have added Tanev and Brandon Carlo. Both of them have been solid throughout the series and have given the offense plenty of chances so far. But on Wednesday, everyone faltered, and the Panthers did what champions do. They exposed a team that was falling apart and took advantage.
The Maple Leafs have been led by the steady hand of Craig Berube all season. The 2019 St Louis Blues faced a ton of adversity, but Berube led them to greatness. When this Leafs team faced adversity against the Senators, Berube turned down the temperature and led them to a win. Can he do it again on Friday?
Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.
