Leafs have nowhere to hide and...

ATLANTA — The Toronto Maple Leafs are once again in a pickle of their own making, blowing a two-goal lead on home ice to fall behind the upstart Florida Panthers 2-0 in their second-round series only five days after surviving their toughest institutional barrier.

After John Tavares' Game-Changing Goal on Saturday, the Maple Leafs' season temporarily seemed different. If they manage the statistically implausible feat of winning four of their next five games, it may feel different again.

There is no explanation for why Toronto could have fallen into this gaping hole, especially after leading the Panthers 2-0 on Thursday.

Two minutes and twenty seconds into the game, Alexander Kerfoot scored the game's first goal. After drawing a penalty, Ryan O'Reilly scored an insurance goal, at least theoretically. Despite the host team's superior depth and talent, the Maple Leafs appeared destined to reestablish the nature of a series that might be won on the margins within the first five minutes of Game 2.

After Sam Reinhart defeated Timothy Liljegren in a crucial puck battle behind the net, Anton Lundell scored and Tavares failed on the close-out attempt, leaving the score at 2-1 in favor of the Maple Leafs. Okay, so the first period wasn't perfect, but few playoff periods are. The postseason is designed for random anomalies to happen.

The Maple Leafs may have blown a two-goal lead, but in the playoffs, anything can happen. When Auston Matthews dropped the ball while skating out of his own zone, Gustav Forling put an end to your argument that things would ultimately go in Toronto's favor. The Panthers used a three-man weave variation, and Game 1 MVP Matthew Tkachuk connected with an open Danny Forsling for the score that ultimately decided the match.

“Disappointing. In a short post-game press conference, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe described the situation as "baffling." "In the prior series, we didn't commit those errors once."

You could be tempted to refer to Thursday's game as the Sergei Bobrovsky Game if you approach the series from a distance and don't focus entirely on how the first two games related to the Maple Leafs.

Paul Maurice, the head coach of the Panthers, stated, "I think you need your goaltender to win you a game every series, and he accomplished that today.

Tkachuk praised his goaltender, stating, "Yeah, he played awesome." Since he returned, he has been operating it on our behalf. He is due it. He works the hardest I've ever seen someone work; Barkov comes in maybe second. Bob takes care of himself in a way I've never seen anyone else do. He grinds and simply keeps improving.

After Keefe disclosed that he didn't get a good report on Knies, the Maple Leafs may be in serious danger. Knies is a 20-year-old forward. Along with O'Reilly and Noel Acciari, Knies started for Toronto, and his combination of speed, size, and willingness to participate in physical play made him one of the team's top forwards. It would be reasonable to say that Knies' injury served as the first sign of the Maple Leafs' downfall.

After the Maple Leafs of Bennett's hometown were defeated two nights ago by his talent and scoring prowess, he is now the city's most despised figure. Despite all historical precedents, it appears likely that Bennett will continue to play a significant role in this series.

In terms of roster composition, these Maple Leafs aren't the same as they used to be. By upsetting the three-time defending conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, they appeared to have overcome the obstacles. They chose a divisional opponent that they ended 19 points ahead of during the regular season rather than the 65-win Boston Bruins.

A week ago, everything was OK, but today the Maple Leafs find themselves in an almost hopeless situation. The Panthers' better goaltending may be blamed, but the Maple Leafs have nowhere to run and nobody else to blame.