With the series lead now trimmed to 3-2, the focus postgame was on the underperformance of Toronto’s biggest names, specifically team captain Auston Matthews and star winger Mitch Marner. Leafs head coach Craig Berube offered a direct critique of his top line, which features Matthews, Marner and Matthew Knies.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans may look back on this era and wonder if they were witnessing the golden age of their team. A Stanley Cup is still the missing piece, the ultimate validation — but even without it (for now),

For as dire as things can seem following the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's hard to find too much to complain about right now. But we still will.