Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was held to four assists in the team's first-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and went pointless in the final two games of the best-of-seven series as the Canadiens battled back to advance.

Marner scored 20 goals and posted 67 points in 55 games during the regular season, but couldn't find a way to beat Carey Price as the Maple Leafs saw a 3-1 series lead evaporate.

"Especially come playoff time, you want to be the guy to go to and get the team out of the series," Marner said after the 3-1 loss in Game 7 Monday. "Multiple looks every single game, and it seems like it just wasn't going in.

"Really no excuse. You want that puck to go into the net."

Signed at the NHL's seventh-highest cap hit of $10.9 million, Marner struggled for the second straight postseason after being held without a point in three of the team's five games in the qualifying round against the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer.

Marner’s last playoff goal came when he scored his second of the night in the team's playoff opener against the Boston Bruins in 2019. 

Marner was not Toronto's only star to struggle in the series, as linemate Auston Matthews was held to one goal and five points in seven games after leading the league with 41 goals in 52 games during the regular season.

"It's a game of inches," Matthews said. "We were unable to capitalize. And obviously we're out there to capitalize."

Matthews, signed at the league's third-highest cap hit of $11.64 million, had a team-high 35 shots on net in the first-round series. 

Monday's loss marked the 17th straight season without a playoff series win for the Maple Leafs. The team dropped to 0-8 in potential series-winning games since last advancing to the second round in 2004.