3 takeaways from Leafs' Game 5 loss to Senators as playoff futility continues

The Toronto Maple Leafs playoff futility continues as they were unable to close out their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators at home in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

The Leafs put forth their worst effort of the postseason, getting shut out 4-0. Toronto’s dominance from the first three games has seemed to all but evaporate in the last two, leaving fans scratching their heads.

With Game 5 in the books, and the Leafs and Sens set to meet in Game 6 on Thursday in Ottawa, here are the three main takeaways from the Toronto Maple Leafs Game 5 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

3 takeaways from Toronto Maple Leafs Game 5 loss to Ottawa Senators

Power play has gone belly up

The monstrous power play that scored thrice in Game 1 has now gone silent in the last two. The five-forward main unit isn’t working. While the Leafs have gotten some looks, the setup hasn’t been working. They’ll need to go back to a four-forwards-one-defenseman setup to hopefully get the power play back on track.

The worst moment came in the third period when the Leafs surrendered a shorthanded goal while down 1-0.

Here's a look:

The goal was a backbreaker, and it all started with a poor pass from Matthews allowing the Senators to burn Marner.

It’s worth pointing out that the chances have been there. But it’s been the Leafs' inability to move in for the kill that’s allowed the Sens to contemplate the possibility of coming back to tie the series.

The Core Four has done AWOL

Like the power play, the Core Four has gone awol. Mitch Marner’s playmaking magic hasn’t yielded much in the last two games. Auston Matthews hasn’t seemed snakebitten in the last two games, missing grade-A chances by hitting posts, or seeing Linus Ullmark make solid saves.

John Tavares and Matthew Knies had breakaway chances in the game but were unable to score. We should give Ullmark credit for shutting the door when his need has needed it the most. However, the Leafs are a much better team and should have found ways of getting past the Senators’ strong physical play.

The Senators' forechecking has made a huge difference

The Senators have maintained a steady forechecking presence throughout Games 4 and 5. That has resulted in a disruption of the Leafs’ game. While the Senators have hardly dominated the Leafs, It seems Ottawa has been able to get pucks bouncing their way coupled with timely saves.

The Leafs will need to focus on forechecking themselves while ensuring that crucial mistakes remain at a minimum.

Game 6 in Ottawa is a must-win for the Leafs. If they fail to close out the series yet again, the Leafs’ playoff demons will come back to haunt them for good. Another epic collapse like the 2021 series against Montreal could be ruinous for the entire Toronto Maple Leafs organization.