Maple Leafs Mocked on Twitter for 3-0 Series Deficit vs. Sam Reinhart, Panthers

With their backs against the wall following back-to-back home losses to start the Eastern Conference Semifinal, the Toronto Maple Leafs needed a strong performance from their stars.

Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitchell Marner, who make a combined $33.5 million per season, combined for zero points and a combined minus-three plus/minus as the team fell 3-2 in overtime to the Florida Panthers.

The winning goal was scored by Sam Reinhart, his fifth of the postseason. This was the third overtime victory for the Panthers this postseason, and it becomes abundantly clear that the squad is peaking at the right time.

Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe netted the other two goals for Florida, while Sam Lafferty and Erik Gustafsson were the scorers for Toronto. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves as he continues his impressive postseason.

Joseph Woll, the Maple Leafs' backup goaltender, was called to action after the Maple Leafs lost starter Ilya Samsonov in the early stages of the second period. When he was ruled unable to return, it was Woll's crease. This could be described as less than ideal, given that Woll has played just 12 NHL games.

Still, Woll's experience with the U20 junior team and his pedigree as a 2016 third-round pick made him a viable option. He also has been praised by Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe in the past.

In the end, Woll was not the issue, as the netminder made 18 saves and was praised for the effort.

The issue for fans came with the aforementioned core. Many have said that this group does not have what it takes to win in the playoffs. This, along with the overall futility of the Leafs in the playoffs in the 21st century, led to ridicule on Twitter.

Not left out of this ridicule was the Maple Leafs fans, who expressed extreme confidence when they found out they would be facing the Panthers, who were the last team to make it into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

While a 3-0 deficit is extremely daunting, it has been overcome four times in NHL history, with the most recent time happening in the 2014 Western Conference first round when the Los Angeles Kings did a reverse sweep of the San Jose Sharks. The Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.

Toronto has achieved this once as well in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final. They will attempt to start this comeback attempt Wednesday when they take on the Panthers in Sunrise, Florida, for Game 4.