It took them a few tries, but the Florida Panthers finally found their groove — and the Maple Leafs better take notice.

Sunday’s 2-0 loss wasn’t just a scoreline — it was a wake-up call. The Cats didn’t just win; they dominated. They stuck to their structure, smothered Toronto with their forecheck, and took the life out of the Leafs’ offence. Think of it as a friendly slap, playoff style.

“They’re swarming us pretty good,” admitted Leafs coach Craig Berube. “We gotta get the puck out quicker.” No sugarcoating it there.

Auston Matthews gave credit where it was due: “They just kept the pressure on for a full 60. We couldn’t match it consistently.” William Nylander agreed, adding, “They made it hard to get to the inside — kept us to the outside and let their goalie see everything.”

This wasn’t just about the scoreboard. It was about effort. The Panthers brought their playoff-style hockey: tight checking, hard hitting, relentless. And it looked a lot like the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year.

On the Leafs’ side? Penalties didn’t help. Four early minors — one of which led to a Carter Verhaeghe power-play goal. Add in a rock-solid Sergei Bobrovsky, and you’ve got a recipe for frustration.

“Hard to get momentum when you’re in the box half the game,” Matthews said.

But the biggest concern? Toronto’s stars. Matthews still hasn’t scored in this series — or in any of his playoff games vs. Florida. Marner got the Game 2 winner (a fluky one at that) but hasn’t registered a shot on net since.

“There’s guys who need to do more,” Berube said. He didn’t name names. He didn’t need to.

Meanwhile, emotions boiled over at the buzzer when Max Domi hit Aleksander Barkov, leading to a whole lot of pushing, chirping, and some spicy post-game quotes. (No suspension expected, by the way.)

Tkachuk says he’s coming for Nylander. Knies says, “Try me instead.” Classic playoff chatter.

The series heads back to Toronto tied 2-2, and it’s safe to say: Game 5 is going to be intense.

“It’s playoff hockey,” said goalie Joseph Woll. “It’s rarely a walk in the park.”

And now… the pressure is squarely on the Leafs. Time for the big names to play big.