Mitch Marner's Bench Behavior During Panthers-Maple Leafs Game 7 Turns Heads
During the first period of Sunday's Game 7 matchup between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, it seemed like the latter was playing too conservatively.
Yes, they escaped the period without goaltender Joseph Woll, who was playing because starter Anthony Stolarz is still out following the upper-body injury he suffered in Game 1, allowing a goal, but there were a few times it looked like the Panthers offense was overwhelming the Maple Leafs' defense.
Advertisement
That was exactly the case in the second period as Seth Jones, Anton Lundell, and Jonah Gadjovich scored back-to-back-to-back goals in the span of six minutes and 24 seconds to give Florida a 3-0 lead heading into the third period.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) skates against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period at Scotiabank Arena.John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Panthers' three-goal outburst deflated the crowd inside Scotiabank Arena, but it enraged Maple Leafs' star forward Mitch Marner, who was caught on camera unleashing an expletive-filled rant at his teammates as he skated back to the bench.
'Wake the [expletive] up,' Marner shouted after he used some colorful language to express his frustration.
Marner's outburst was likely meant to provide a jolt for his teammates, but it seemingly had the opposite effect. Toronto lost 6-1, and Marner took a beating in the comment section for his zero-point, minus-2 night.
Advertisement
'He could always try scoring or something,' one fan stated.
'Looks like the face of someone playing their last game as a Leaf,' another fan noted.
'Why doesn't he show some passion during the game. He sucks tonight!' one user exclaimed.
'lol maybe he should actually do something about it then,' another user quipped.
'Telling his team to wake up after having no goals tn is a bold statement,' remarked another fan.
Most would agree Marner's anger was justified given he hasn't played past the second round of the playoffs in his nine-year NHL career. In fact, the Maple Leafs haven't advanced past the second round of the postseason since 2002.
Advertisement
Sunday's loss was Toronto's seventh straight Game 7 defeat, which tied the NHL record most such occurrences.
Marner is an unrestricted free agent, and many believe he's played his last season in a Maple Leafs jersey.
Related: Sidney Crosby Sends 6-Word Alex Ovechkin Warning After Capitals Season Ends
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
27 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Healthier Panthers are nearing full strength in the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The bumps and bruises and worse started to pile up midway through the Florida Panthers' third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Matthew Tkachuk only returned for the playoff opener after sitting out the final two months of the regular season with the injury he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and seems to still be gutting through it. Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola each missed time during the Eastern Conference final, and A.J. Greer's injury he tried playing through eventually sidelined him. 'It's very hard to win a Cup with unhealthy bodies,' Greer said. The Panthers found that out the hard way two years ago when they were the skating wounded . Tkachuk had a broken sternum , Aaron Ekblad had a broken foot, two shoulder dislocations and a torn oblique muscle, Radko Gudas had a high ankle sprain and they lost to Vegas in five games in the final. While the Edmonton Oilers looked to be in better shape going into this series with the notable exception of injured forward Zach Hyman , Florida has gotten healthier. Coach Paul Maurice said Reinhart is 'back to full health,' Tkachuk, Mikkola and Greer are making a difference and the defending champions are two wins away from hoisting the Cup for a second year in a row. 'It's always good to have a full team that's healthy,' fourth-liner Tomas Nosek said after practice Wednesday. 'It's been good so far, and hopefully it stays that way.' The Panthers will have their ideal lineup for Game 4 on Thursday night in Sunrise after that same group waxed Edmonton 6-1 earlier this week to take a 2-1 lead in the final. Other than do-it-all defenseman Seth Jones, no one played more than 23 minutes in Game 3. That balance, after so much overtime hockey early in what looked to be an evenly matched series , combined with an extra day between games, makes them rested and ready. 'We've been, I think, great the whole playoffs,' center Anton Lundell said. 'It doesn't really matter when we play. It's always fun to play, so we don't really care. But obviously now we have had a couple days off, so it's fun to get the energy back and prepare.' Reinhart scoring Monday night was his first goal since being out for two games in the Eastern Conference final, ending a drought that dated to the second round against Toronto. He had six shots in Game 2 and has been steadily progressing. 'I'm not worried about him,' Maurice said. 'I think his game is getting stronger — quite a bit stronger.' So is Tkachuk's, even if it's clear the tough winger is not moving as well as he does when 100%. But he had an assist and was noticeably better in Game 3, which Maurice called Tkachuk's best of the playoffs. 'It took him a while to build out,' Maurice said. 'The speed of the Carolina series was probably a really, really good thing. Some of these injuries I'm sure they're dealing with it, you can't condition them and rehab them at the same time. They need some time. And he was out for such a very long time that I would say the last month, but certainly the last three weeks, he's back to form now.' That spells trouble for the Oilers, playing without Hyman and with top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dealing with an undisclosed injury that has him relegated him to game-time-decision uncertainty. Their longest-tenured player not being 100% is a major blow after Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Hyman were such an effective trio getting to this point. Coach Kris Knoblauch foreshadowed a lineup change that may or may not be injury related. Either way, his team's depth is being tested. The same has been the case for the Panthers, who have used 22 skaters in the playoffs following 30 during the season. They've grown accustomed to shuffling players in and out and chugging along like some of the NHL's best teams have to do. 'With our depth this year, even when guys are injured or guys are out of the lineup, there's just so much depth on our team that guys can fill in seamlessly and it doesn't change our lineup that much,' Bennett said. 'That's definitely a huge factor for us.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Fox Sports
29 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Healthier Panthers are nearing full strength in the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers
Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The bumps and bruises and worse started to pile up midway through the Florida Panthers' third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Matthew Tkachuk only returned for the playoff opener after sitting out the final two months of the regular season with the injury he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and seems to still be gutting through it. Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola each missed time during the Eastern Conference final, and A.J. Greer's injury he tried playing through eventually sidelined him. 'It's very hard to win a Cup with unhealthy bodies,' Greer said. The Panthers found that out the hard way two years ago when they were the skating wounded. Tkachuk had a broken sternum, Aaron Ekblad had a broken foot, two shoulder dislocations and a torn oblique muscle, Radko Gudas had a high ankle sprain and they lost to Vegas in five games in the final. While the Edmonton Oilers looked to be in better shape going into this series with the notable exception of injured forward Zach Hyman, Florida has gotten healthier. Coach Paul Maurice said Reinhart is 'back to full health,' Tkachuk, Mikkola and Greer are making a difference and the defending champions are two wins away from hoisting the Cup for a second year in a row. 'It's always good to have a full team that's healthy," fourth-liner Tomas Nosek said after practice Wednesday. "It's been good so far, and hopefully it stays that way.' The Panthers will have their ideal lineup for Game 4 on Thursday night in Sunrise after that same group waxed Edmonton 6-1 earlier this week to take a 2-1 lead in the final. Other than do-it-all defenseman Seth Jones, no one played more than 23 minutes in Game 3. That balance, after so much overtime hockey early in what looked to be an evenly matched series, combined with an extra day between games, makes them rested and ready. 'We've been, I think, great the whole playoffs," center Anton Lundell said. 'It doesn't really matter when we play. It's always fun to play, so we don't really care. But obviously now we have had a couple days off, so it's fun to get the energy back and prepare." Reinhart scoring Monday night was his first goal since being out for two games in the Eastern Conference final, ending a drought that dated to the second round against Toronto. He had six shots in Game 2 and has been steadily progressing. 'I'm not worried about him,' Maurice said. 'I think his game is getting stronger — quite a bit stronger.' So is Tkachuk's, even if it's clear the tough winger is not moving as well as he does when 100%. But he had an assist and was noticeably better in Game 3, which Maurice called Tkachuk's best of the playoffs. 'It took him a while to build out,' Maurice said. 'The speed of the Carolina series was probably a really, really good thing. Some of these injuries I'm sure they're dealing with it, you can't condition them and rehab them at the same time. They need some time. And he was out for such a very long time that I would say the last month, but certainly the last three weeks, he's back to form now.' That spells trouble for the Oilers, playing without Hyman and with top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dealing with an undisclosed injury that has him relegated him to game-time-decision uncertainty. Their longest-tenured player not being 100% is a major blow after Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Hyman were such an effective trio getting to this point. Coach Kris Knoblauch foreshadowed a lineup change that may or may not be injury related. Either way, his team's depth is being tested. The same has been the case for the Panthers, who have used 22 skaters in the playoffs following 30 during the season. They've grown accustomed to shuffling players in and out and chugging along like some of the NHL's best teams have to do. 'With our depth this year, even when guys are injured or guys are out of the lineup, there's just so much depth on our team that guys can fill in seamlessly and it doesn't change our lineup that much,' Bennett said. "That's definitely a huge factor for us.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025 Stanley Cup Final schedule: Panthers vs. Oilers Game 4 time, TV info
2025 Stanley Cup Final schedule: Panthers vs. Oilers Game 4 time, TV info Show Caption Hide Caption NHL rescue dogs, all available for adoption, compete in the 2025 Stanley Pup 32 adorable rescue puppies representing each NHL team will compete in the 2025 Stanley Pup, airing June 6 on TruTV and Sportsnet! The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, but the early results are different. The defending champion Florida Panthers lost the opener but now lead the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 after a Game 3 rout. The Panthers will try to take a commanding 3-1 lead in Game 4 while the Oilers will try to tie the series 2-2. Last season, the Panthers won the first three games and the Oilers won the next three. Florida captured Game 7 on home ice for its first NHL championship. This year, the Oilers had home-ice advantage but lost it after a Game 2 loss, They have won five Stanley Cup titles, last in 1990. They are trying to become the first Canadian team since 1993 to win the championship. Here is the schedule, television and streaming information for the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final: Stanley Cup Final schedule Panthers lead series 2-1 All times Eastern; (x-if necessary) Watch the Stanley Cup Final on Sling How to stream Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final games can be streamed on Sling TV and Max.
