SIMMONS: Are the Maple Leafs in trouble against Panthers after Game 4 loss?

National Post

12-05-2025

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He will never be confused for Sasha Barkov or Matthew Tkachuk or Sam Reinhart — or any of the great Florida offensive players — but he winds up on the game sheet when the lights are brightest.
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In this series, now a best of three, the Leafs need Matthews and Marner and others to locate more Verhaeghe in their games and in their play.
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'All his reads are right,' said Panthers coach Paul Maurice in complimenting his winger. 'He plays a very hard, very fast game.'
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Those aren't particularly complicated words, but finding a way to play very hard and very fast is something that not many can attain. The Leafs have upper-end talent that nobody in the playoffs this side of Edmonton can match. But just having talent doesn't answer all the questions.
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Finding a way to fight through a lack of space, win battles for loose pucks, compete physically on every shift is so much what winning playoff hockey is about. And along with that you have to be smart and creative and disciplined and unafraid.
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The Leafs took four first-period penalties against Florida and all of them were avoidable. Not smart. Verhaeghe scored the only goal of the first two periods with the Leafs playing one man — almost two men — short.
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The goal came after an unfortunate read from Jake McCabe, who doesn't make many unfortunate reads.
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In the third period, another misread from McCabe came on a 2-on-1, with partner Chris Tanev playing the pass, not the shot, the right play to make. He signaled McCabe to take the shooter from the back side, Sam Bennett. McCabe missed the read, went to Tanev's side, and left Bennett all alone to score on Woll.
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Tiny reads and tiny decisions change playoff games. Matthew Knies had three very good chances to score for Toronto and each time Knies either missed on his shot or had it taken from him by Sergei Bobrovsky.
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The most disturbing aspect of the loss from Toronto's perspective Sunday night is what happened in the Florida net. Bobrovsky began this series struggling to stop pucks. The Leafs scored nine goals on him in the first two games of the series.
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Sunday night he looked like playoff Bobrovsky, looked like the Stanley Cup-winning goaltender. It didn't seem to matter who had chances — and Matthews had two good ones — Bob was the owner of those circumstances.
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