The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a seventh consecutive Game 7, and it got ugly on the ice after getting blown out at home.
A report from Sportsnet said one fan threw a beer at the Leafs’ bench while longtime right winger Mitch Marner had to dodge a thrown jersey late in the third period of an embarrassing 6-1 defeat.
Toronto fans also left the arena tailgate in complete disarray, filled with trash and garbage following the loss.
With 10 minutes left in the third period, fans also began throwing home team jerseys onto the ice in disgust as the Panthers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will face the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Maple Leafs’ poor performance is just the latest chapter of playoff pain in Toronto, where the team is centered around Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and ex-Islander John Tavares.
Since Tavares came to the Maple Leafs in 2018, the team is 0-5 in Game 7s.
And the team has lost seven consecutive Game 7s, which is the longest streak in NHL history.
After winning the first two games of the series only to lose the next three, Maple Leafs fans had already begun turning on Matthews, the team captain, by throwing his jersey on the ice after Game 5.
Head coach Craig Berube said after the game that the Maple Leafs’ playoff debacles were a mentality issue more than a skill problem.
“For me, it’s all between the ears,” Berube said during his postgame media availability. “It’s a mindset.”
The team likely won’t continue as currently constructed. The Maple Leafs’ alternate captain, Marner, is set to hit free agency this offseason and is expected to depart.
After the Maple Leafs allowed three unanswered goals in Game 7, completely taking the air out of their raucous building, Marner yelled at his team on the bench, screaming “wake the f–k up.”
The defending champion Panthers move on to face the Hurricanes on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.