"It's happening again isn't it?" - NHL fans react as Boston Bruins lose Game 5, reminiscent of Panthers series loss from last year's playoffs

The Boston Bruins' 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round has left fans with a sense of déjà vu.

Last year, the Bruins held a 3-2 series lead over the Florida Panthers before dropping Games 6 and 7 to be eliminated. Now, after taking a 3-1 series lead over Toronto, the Bruins have lost Game 5.

The memory of last year's eventual elimination in the first round has resurfaced, leaving fans apprehensive about history repeating itself.

One fan commented:

"It's happening again, isn't it?" recalling last year playoffs.

Another fan commented back with last year's playoff chart:

"Yeah, it's happening again".

Here are some fan reactions to the Boston Bruins loss to the Maple Leafs:

They’ll be the first team to ever blow back to back 3-1 series leads one fan commented.

"Some very entertaining playoff hockey! Too bad we had a terrible first half… Come out ready to play hard next game and we got this series. Let’s go Bruins! Also Swayman had a hell of a night." another fan wrote.

"Not learning your lessons from last year about not closing the series out when you can." a user wrote.

"Tough loss, onto the next one." another user wrote.

Toronto's goaltender, Joseph Woll, played a crucial role in the victory, making 28 saves to keep the Bruins at bay. The Leafs showcased their offensive prowess, outshooting Boston 33-28.

“We weren’t good enough,” Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said post-game. “Just simple as that. Toronto came out ready to play, they took it to us. We weren’t ready to match their desperation.”

However, the absence of Auston Matthews, who briefly appeared at morning practice but left before the structured drills began, was felt as he missed Game 5 due to illness.

Boston Bruins 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto's Jack McCabe started the scoring just over five minutes into the first period, blasting a shot through traffic from the point that beat Bruins goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman.

The Boston Bruins were able to tie things up before the first intermission when Trent Frederic capitalized on a Jesper Boqvist forced a turnover, beating Joseph Woll to make it 1-1.

The game remained tied until overtime, when Maple Leafs rookie Matthew Knies knocked in the rebound at the edge of the crease after captain John Tavares drove hard to the net.

"That's just the way it plays out sometimes," said Bruins captain Brad Marchand of the disappointing loss. "The hardest (win) to get is that last one, and you know, like I said, they came and they left it all out there. That's just -- we need to be better. That's all it is."

The action now shifts back to Toronto for Game 6 as the Leafs look to keep their season alive.