The dust has barely settled following the conclusion of the Leafs/Panthers series and many within Leafs Nation are still unsure of how to feel about it. On one hand, the Leafs were largely the more dangerous team all series long and probably deserved to win. On the other hand, they failed to get it done - AGAIN - and the only stat that really matters is whether or not you won more games than the other team.
For Panthers star winger Matthew Tkachuk, the pure skill in the Leafs' locker room is obvious. Following the Panthers' Game 5 win last night, Tkachuk sung the praises of the Leafs' star players, but pointed to the fact that the Panthers play a more complete team game, which gave his team the upper hand in the series.
You can't really argue with that logic, if we're being entirely honest. The Panthers kept the foot on the gas for the entire series. Every game was close, but as close as they were, the Cats got the best of the Leafs in 4 of 5 games because they didn't get cute. They worked harder than the Leafs and capitalized on their chances. It's just unfortunate, really.
Playing as a team is important and while those slick individual efforts are nice for the highlight reel, if they're not winning you games, they aren't really helping. Sometimes, keeping things simple, putting pucks on net and driving to the paint to bat in the rebounds is all you really need to do. That's how the Panthers scored most of their goals against the Leafs and they're the ones moving on to Round 2 while the Leafs are already booking their tee times in May once again.
