Another season is over without the desired playoff result for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto was booed at home for the second game in a row and lost 6-1 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second-round series on Sunday.
The 6-1 result was the exact same score as Game 5 in Toronto.
In Game 7, Florida badly outplayed the Leafs for long stretches and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second period.
The Panthers had 75 shot attempts in the first two periods, the most by any team in a regular-season or playoff game this season.
Max Domi cut the deficit to 3-1 early in the third, but Eetu Luostarinen scored less than a minute later to restore the Panthers’ three-goal edge, erasing thoughts of any momentum shift.
Toronto has made the post-season nine years in a row, but has not made it out of the second round during that run.
The Leafs haven’t reached the Eastern Conference Final since 2002.
The focus in Toronto will shift to the roster, which has featured a similar core for a good chunk of this playoff drought. Star forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares are pending unrestricted free agents.
Florida, meanwhile, will battle the Carolina Hurricanes in this year’s East Final.
