Berube tweaks Leafs’ forward group for Game 6; Matthews and Marner remain together

The threat of elimination is in the air now more than ever for the Leafs after a devastating 6-1 loss during Game 5 against the Panthers. Alison Hurst reports.

FORT LAUDERDALE — Craig Berube is going back for the future.

The Maple Leafs head coach will dress forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Pontus Holmberg for Game 6 of their second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers with Toronto facing elimination down 3-2 on Friday.

Jarnkrok and Holmberg took a seat in Game 5 for Nick Robertson and David Kampf in the Leafs’ disastrous 6-1 loss Wednesday that pushed them to the brink of elimination.

Berube will also keep star forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner together on Toronto’s top line despite the duo’s offensive struggles against tight-checking Florida. Matthews has yet to score in the series, while Marner bagged the winner in Game 2 as the Leafs built a 2-0 lead that has since evaporated with three straight losses.

Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues will miss a second straight contest for the defending Stanley Cup champions after taking a big hit from Leafs defenceman Oliver-Ekman-Larsson, which resulted in an interference penalty, in Game 4.

Game 7, if necessary, would be back in Toronto on Sunday.

“I liked our game with the other guys in the lineup,” Berube said of making two changes to his bottom-6 forward group. “Other guys are rested, ready to go. We played good hockey with that lineup we have (for Game 6).”

The 2019 Cup winner with the St. Louis Blues said he contemplated splitting Matthews and Marner for Friday’s must-win showdown, but decided against a drastic change with his team’s season on the line for the first time.

“It’s always a consideration,” Berube said. “I’ve split them up this year at times, and I never felt that it really did anything, to be honest. These guys have been a combo for a long time. They’ve had a lot of success, so I trust them.

“I trust in them. I believe in them.”

The Panthers have got depth scoring in the series, while the Leafs have struggled to generate offence across the board with just one goal dating back to the third period of Game 3.

Five of Toronto’s bottom-6 forwards set to dress Friday — Jarnkrok, Holmberg, Bobby McMann, Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton — have combined for zero goals in the playoffs.

Max Domi, meanwhile, scored twice in the first round against the Ottawa Senators in the Leafs’ six-game victory. Robertson registered the team’s consolation goal late in Game 5 against Florida.

“We do need them to chip in,” Berube said of his supporting cast. “It’s not like they’re not trying to score. They’ve just got to keep doing what they’re doing and see what happens with goals.

“But we do need contributions from everybody.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press