Thanks in part to Mitch Marner’s tiebreaking goal in the third period, the Toronto Maple Leafs notched a 4-3 win against the visiting Florida Panthers on Wednesday and a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference second-round series.
Max Pacioretty and Max Domi each had a goal and an assist, William Nylander also scored and Morgan Rielly had two assists. Joseph Woll made 25 saves for Toronto, which will look to secure a commanding 3-0 lead on Friday in Sunrise, Fla.
“It’s tough to play Florida,” Nylander said. “They’re a great team. We know next game’s going to be a huge battle and every game has been tight. Just got to focus for next game.”
Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist, Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand also scored and Eetu Luostarinen had two assists for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves.
Trailing 3-2 after two periods, the Panthers pulled even on Lundell’s goal at 5:33 of the third. Aaron Ekblad sent a pass from the right wall down low to Lundell on the back door, and he snapped it past Woll.
“They’ve been good since they’ve been together, and I think they’re still getting better, they’re still growing,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said of the Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchand line. “So there’s lots we can do with that line playing as well as it is.”
Marner responded 17 seconds later to put Toronto ahead 4-3. Jake McCabe’s left point shot bounced off the opposite side end boards down the wall to Marner, who fired a quick wrister that went over Bobrovsky’s right arm. Florida tried to pull even late but was unable to land a shot on net in the final 3 1/2 minutes.
The Panthers, whose only loss in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning came at home, aim to get back in the series after a pair of tightly contested road matchups.
“Well, you have to understand your game,” Maurice said. “We didn’t love our Game 1 but we liked our game here tonight. Come out on the road and lost two one-goal games and get to go back home now.”
Barkov needed five seconds into a power play to give Florida a 1-0 lead at 10:58 of the first period. He won the draw back to Seth Jones, who held it briefly before giving it back to him in the left circle, and Barkov wired it under Woll’s glove.
Pacioretty tied it 1-1 on the power play at 18:19 when he tipped Rielly’s point shot into the top corner.
Marchand put the Panthers back in front just 15 seconds into the second. Lundell left a short drop pass in the left circle for Marchand, who took it to the net and roofed a backhand over Woll’s glove.
Nylander tied it 2-2 at 4:18. Pacioretty got to a loose puck in the neutral zone and carried it down the right side before dishing it through the slot to Nylander, who backhanded it past Bobrovsky’s glove side.
“Nothing gets to him. He doesn’t feel pressure, and I could be wrong, but this is what I see,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “There’s no too big a stage for this guy. He thrives on this stuff, in my opinion, and looks forward to it and he wants to be in all those critical situations. … He’s a high-end player. He really is.”
Domi put Toronto in front for the first time off the rush at 17:09. Rielly sent a centering pass to Steven Lorentz, who took it down the right hashmark before sending it over to Domi, who quickly put it into an open side of the net from the left circle to make it 3-2.
–Field Level Media
