May 19 (UPI) -- Veteran forward Brad Marchand said the Florida Panthers sensed the toll pressure took on the Toronto Maple Leafs while his team rode a relaxed mentality into Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.
The Panthers took advantage of that mindset advantage for a 6-1 victory in Game 7 on Sunday in Toronto. After the final buzzer, fans showered the ice with jerseys and other projectiles -- including beer -- along with a boos from the stands of Scotiabank Arena. Others posted videos of themselves burning Maple Leafs memorabilia on social media.
The Maple Leafs' failure to convert regular-season success into playoff momentum -- paired with Canada's 32-year Stanley Cup drought -- proved too heavy a burden when compared to the reigning champions' composed approach to the series finale.
"When you win a Cup and you play in some of the games that this team played in last year, these are not high pressure games," Marchand told reporters.
"When you are playing for an actual Cup and you give up a three-game lead [and] then you are in Game 7, that's a high pressure game. Game 7 in the second round, yeah it's a high pressure game, but it's not compared to some other games guys have played.
"When you look at that, then you see the pressure Toronto faces, and everyone is talking about the 20 or 30 year build-up. You see the fans and the way they are talking, they just beat the pressure into this team.
"It's gotta be tough on those guys to walk to the rink every day and not feel that. You see the way the fans treat them at the end. How do you not feel that every single day?"
Marchand and fellow forward Eetu Luostarinen each registered a goal and two assists in Game 7. Forwards Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Jonah Gadjovich and defenseman Seth Jones also scored for the Panthers.
The Panthers, who lost the first two games of the series, outscored the Maple Leafs 19-8 over the final five meetings. Marchand totaled a series-high eight points (three goals, five assists). Luostarinen logged seven points (two goals, five assists).
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who scored the second-most goals (45) in the NHL this season, scored three times in the series. All of those goals came in the first two games. He failed to register a point over his final four appearances against the Panthers.
Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, who logged the fifth-most points (102) in the league, scored once in the series. He registered one point over the final four games. The Panthers outshot the Maple Leafs 218-173 in the series.
Coach Craig Berube said he was most disappointed about how the Maple Leafs played on their home ice in Game 5 and Game 7. He also said he didn't think the "moment was too big," but admitted the Maple Leafs' issues were "between the ears."
"For me, it's all between the ears," Berube said. "It's a mindset. These guys are capable of doing it, you've just got to execute it. We didn't execute it. We didn't execute it in Game 5 and we didn't execute it in Game 7.
"I don't have an answer for why, but that's the bottom line."
Marner slighted the Maple Leafs effort level and said he felt "sadness and depression" after the loss. The veteran forward, who is set to hit free agency this off-season, was caught on camera as he screamed for his teammates to "wake the [expletive] up" during Game 7.
"I'm pretty devastated with what just happened," Marner said. "I've always enjoyed this city and this team."
Marner, a Toronto native, said he was "feeling the same way" as the fans in attendance Sunday at Scotiabank Arena.
"You feel for it," Marner said. "I'm feeling the same way. It's sad. It's heartbreaking. It's something you don't enjoy. We are not happy with that outcome either."
The Panthers will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals. The winner of that best-of-seven game series will battle the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Maple Leafs' departure leaves the Oilers as Canada's last hope of 2025 to snap their 32-year drought and become the first team from the country since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens to hoist hockey's top prize.
The Panthers are trying to become the third NHL team since 1998 to win consecutive Stanley Cups.
"It's just about not taking yourself too seriously in a game," Marchand said. "Yes, we all want to win and we all want to Chase a Cup, but you don't always get to do that, so you've got to enjoy the process and the steps and the days you have throughout that journey."
The Panthers will take on the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
