Maple Leafs HC acknowledges Panthers 'seemed more desperate' after 3-1 loss to potential playoff rivals

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 3-1 to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Head coach Craig Berube said the Panthers appeared to be the more determined team. He pointed to Florida's strong effort in the faceoff circle as a clear example.

“They wanted it more than us. It starts in the faceoff circle. They were 70% tonight,” Berube said, referring to faceoff wins (via mapleleafshotstove.com).

The Toronto Maple Leafs missed a chance to secure home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Florida looked sharper and more determined throughout the game. Berube felt the difference was about effort.

"To me, it comes down to competitiveness and digging in more. They seemed like a more desperate team than us," Berube added.

When asked why the Panthers seemed to want it more, Berube stood by his earlier words.

“I said they wanted it more, and that is the word I used,” he said. “As I said, we have to be more competitive than that.”

The loss ended Toronto’s four-game win streak. The Panthers ended their own five-game losing streak with the win. The Leafs remain at the top of the Atlantic Division, narrowly leading the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Toronto Maple Leafs will face Tampa Bay on Wednesday in another key game before the playoffs begin.

Nicholas Robertson played a big role in Maple Leafs' shutout win over Jackets

The Toronto Maple Leafs secured an impressive 5-0 shutout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Nicholas Robertson and William Nylander played a big role in the game by scoring two goals each.

Robertson had returned to the lineup after missing three games as a healthy scratch.

“It feels great. You want to make an impact on the game and scoring a couple does that,” Robertson said, via NHL.com. “You just try to feed off that and continue that confidence. (Being a scratch) gave me a reset, gives me even more of that hunger to get back in there and be effective and try and make the most of any opportunity I’m given.”

Robertson scored the opening goal in the first period. Later in the second period, he again netted a goal to make it 2-0 in the second period, scoring a five-hole.

Nylander scored early in the third period at 1:11, after he found a rebound from Rielly and shot it between the goalie’s pads. He scored again at 4:21 after Rielly passed to him in the neutral zone. Matthews scored the final goal at 16:27, making it his 30th goal this season.