Panthers, Maple Leafs limping to finishing line - BERITAJA

TORONTO – Craig Berube stood down a stunned and bitterly disappointed Maple Leafs’ chair past spring.

As the timepiece coiled down and the Panthers started to observe their emphatic Game 7 triumph successful the 2nd information of the playoffs astatine Scotiabank Arena, Toronto’s caput coach pivoted to the off-season believing location was thing to build connected successful 2025-26.

Florida, meanwhile, went connected to hoist the Stanley Cup for a 2nd consecutive June.

Fast-forward not moreover 11 months later, some clubs are successful vastly different — and akin — positions adjacent the bottommost of the NHL’s wide standings.

“Tough for some teams,” Berube told reporters Saturday morning. “I wouldn’t person thought that, but circumstances, injuries … a batch of things play into it.

“That’s the measurement it goes sometimes successful this league. It conscionable shows the parity successful this league. You can’t return a breath. There’s nary easy teams.”

Despite missing a boatload of injured regulars successful the waning moments of a mislaid campaign, Florida topped Toronto 6-2 connected a nighttime that meant thing different than draught lottery positioning.

“All these games are weird erstwhile you cognize you’re retired of the playoffs,” Maple Leafs winger William Nylander said aft scoring some his team’s goals. “We’ve been competing good. But I deliberation they were competing amended than us.”

Toronto (32-34-14) besides has injuries, including skipper and prima centre Auston Matthews, defenceman Chris Tanev and now goaltender Anthony Stolarz, but the Original Six franchise’s issues appeared agelong earlier the sick bay started to capable up, pinch the gaping spread near by Mitch Marner’s summertime departure among the biggest.

“I’m trying to attack it for illustration immoderate different crippled and not get excessively concerned pinch wherever we’re at,” Maple Leafs netminder Joseph Woll said aft his squad fell to 0-4-1 complete its past 5 contests. “But astatine the aforesaid time, evidently not very happy pinch the results recently.”

“We’re trying to extremity the play connected immoderate benignant of affirmative note,” Nylander added. “That’s the focus.”

Florida (38-38-4) was without 14 regulars Saturday, a agelong database led by skipper Aleksander Barkov, who hasn’t played astatine each this season, chap forwards Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues, on pinch blueliners Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov and Seth Jones.

“Respect the game,” Panthers caput coach Paul Maurice said of his group’s attack pinch youngsters and call-ups occupying roster spots. “I deliberation we did that.”

Florida is group to miss the post-season for the first clip since 2019, while Toronto hasn’t sat retired the NHL’s yearly outpouring creation successful a decade.

“It is difficult, nary uncertainty about it,” Berube, a erstwhile NHL enforcer and Cup victor arsenic coach, said post-game Saturday of suiting up successful meaningless contests. “But you gotta execute and you gotta play. You gotta compete. I thought we competed. We didn’t spell retired location and not compete, but there’s conscionable mistakes.

“Whether it’s turnovers aliases different plays and situations, there’s mistakes and they’re uncovering the measurement successful the net.”

FIRST STEP

Maple Leafs defenceman William Villeneuve made his NHL debut aft almost 4 afloat seasons successful the American Hockey League pinch the Toronto Marlies.

The 24-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que., who was selected 122nd wide successful 2020, has 29 points (three goals, 26 assists) and 64 punishment minutes crossed 59 games successful the AHL successful 2025-26.

“It was unbelievable,” Villeneuve said. “A awesome experience. Wasn’t the consequence that we wanted, but I’ll retrieve that time for remainder of my life.”

BIG FAN

Woll said he enjoyed watching Artur Akhtyamov make his first NHL commencement successful Thursday’s 5-3 roadworthy nonaccomplishment to the New York Islanders.

The Russian netminder was nether siege early — including 24 shots against successful the first play — and vanished pinch 39 saves.

“I emotion his crippled … he’s sick,” Woll said. “Pretty cool, from my perspective, to watch him.”

Woll added that Akhtyamov gives disconnected akin power to countrymen and NHL stars Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin and Sergei Bobrovsky.

“That Russian swagger,” he said. “Same benignant of vibe.”

This study by BERITAJA was first published April 12, 2026.