"We didn't close," said forward Wayne Simmonds. "I think good teams, when they smell blood, they finish (opponents) off right away." Many players who appeared on Wednesday's season-ending media availability mentioned not "starting on time" in some playoff games, a reference to a lack of urgency from puck drop. The Maple Leafs did well to force OT in both games before the decider, but had difficulty playing at a consistent pace for a full 60 minutes. It was the fifth straight year that the Maple Leafs failed to make it out of the opening round. Playoff expectations were higher this time around after Toronto finished first in the North Division standings.