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

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When Simon Benoit plays with more effort, more exuberance and more playoff edge than any of his teammates, that can’t represent a winning night for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was a great night for the Leafs’ sixth defenceman, and a very good night for Joseph Woll, who is starting in goal only because of the injury to Anthony Stolarz, but after that, there was not much to count on as the Leafs were pounded physically and directionally by the Florida Panthers on Sunday night — and suddenly this best-of-seven Atlantic Division series is now down to a best-of-three.

The opportunity to steal one game in Florida saw the Leafs lose Friday night in overtime, on a night with a win being possible — but not on Sunday, when they were clearly the second best team in every conceivable way.

And after Sunday night, you have to wonder now if the Leafs can win two more games against the more intense, more physically engaged and more disciplined Panthers.

Is it still possible? Of course, it’s possible. Is it still likely? Not if the Panthers found more than one way to succeed from the 2-0 win.

The Leafs required offence from Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the one-time 69-goal scorer and the current 100-point winger, in Florida, and didn’t get any.

That Matthews didn’t score in either game in Sunrise — he has three goals in his past 20 playoff games — remains impossible to digest. No one has scored more goals than Matthews since the day he entered the National Hockey League. Just not at playoff time and not when it matters most.

It’s not a lot different with Marner, Matthews’ longtime right winger. The Leafs played two games in Florida and Marner had no shots on goal in either game. Now, as Paul Maurice will tell you, shots on goal don’t mean a whole lot of anything, but it’s pretty much impossible to score if you don’t shoot or hit the net.

These are two of the greatest offensive players in the entire NHL as indicated by their pay grade. Mikko Rantanen has nine goals in his past six games with the Dallas Stars. Matthews has nine goals in his past 27 playoff games with the Leafs. Marner has nine goals in his past seven playoff seasons.

These are the Maple Leafs’ best scorers — William Nylander aside — just not when the brightest lights come on and the intensity of the playoffs is increased across the board. Something happens to these great contributors who stop contributing at playoff time.

It’s not easy to explain. How can the somewhat marginal Benoit become so much more than he is from sheer intensity and exuberance when players such as Matthews and Marner leave you wanting more night after playoff night.

Carter Verhaeghe is a more talented version of Benoit up front on the Panthers roster. He scored the winning goal Sunday night, his fourth goal of this playoff season after having just a 20-goal regular season. He always seems to be there when it matters most. Verhaeghe scored 11 goals in last year’s Stanley Cup run and 13 in the two playoff seasons before that one.

He will never be confused with Sasha Barkov, 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.

In this series, the Leafs need Matthews and Marner and others to locate more Verhaeghe in their games and in their play.

“All of his reads are right,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice in complimenting his winger. “He plays a very hard, very fast game.”

Those aren’t particularly complicated words, but finding a way to play “very hard, 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 of the questions.

Finding a way to fight through a lack of space, win battles for loose pucks and compete physically on every shift is so much of what winning playoff hockey is about. And along with that, you have to be smart and creative, disciplined and unafraid.

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.

The goal came after an unfortunate read from Jake McCabe, who doesn’t make many unfortunate reads.

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 signalled 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.

Tiny reads and tiny decisions change playoff games. Matthew Knies had three very good chances to score for Toronto and each time he either missed on his shot or had it taken from him by Sergei Bobrovsky.

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.

On 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.

Now the Leafs have to beat him and the Panthers two more times to advance. There is usually no momentum to playoff hockey. Today, that may be the only thought that plays in the Maple Leafs’ favour.

ssimmons@postmedia.com
twitter.com/simmonssteve