It's a sad day for Toronto sports fans as their beloved Toronto Maple Leafs just got hammered with yet another Stanley Cup Playoffs heartbreak. Maple Leafs center John Tavares was understandably somber after their Game 7 2-1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are moving on to the next round to face the Florida Panthers in the second round.

Via Chris Johnston of TSN:

It's really stunning to look back at Toronto's fate in the recent editions of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a massive fanbase backing a talented roster, the Maple Leafs just seemingly couldn't find their way out of the first round, which is incredibly infuriating for anyone invested in the team.

The Maple Leafs have made the postseason in each of the six seasons, including this one, but never progressed beyond the first round in any of those trips to the playoffs. Over that stretch, Toronto has suffered four Game 7 losses. In 2021, they got upset in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens, who had the least points among all teams that made that year's postseason, even though they were up 3-1 after four games in the series.

As for Tavares, he's likely going to hear a lot online in the offseason from passionate Maple Leafs fans. He had an up-and-down series against the Lightning, coming away with three goals and three assists across seven games.