Panthers Take Game One in Toronto

After a grueling seven-game series that resulted in the biggest upset in NHL Playoff history, the Florida Panthers traveled to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games and had a few extra days of rest before the Panthers came to town. The Panthers dealt with a tough road environment in Boston for game seven but knew Toronto would be even more raucous. This is the first time the Maple Leafs have advanced to the second round of the playoffs in nearly twenty years, so the Scotiabank Arena was rocking well before the puck dropped. 

The Panthers seemed unfazed by the crowd and an early goal by Nick Cousins helped quiet the fans and give the Cats a 1-0 lead. Sam Bennett put the Panthers up 2-0 with a goal of his own roughly eight minutes into the second period and it looked like the Cats were feeling very comfortable. This feeling didn’t last long as the Leafs responded quickly. Just eleven seconds after the Panthers took a 2-0 lead, Matthew Knies got the Leafs on the board and cut the Panthers lead in half. Five minutes later and the game was all tied up when Michael Bunting sent the Toronto crowd into a frenzy with a goal that made it 2-2. 

At this point it seemed like the Panthers had lost all momentum. Their two-goal lead had evaporated in a span of six minutes and the fans in Toronto were at a fever pitch. The Panthers needed something to swing the tide back in their favor and they got it in the form of a Carter Verhaeghe breakaway goal. This gave the Cats a 3-2 lead before the second period came to an end. From this point on, Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was a brick wall. Finishing the night with 34 saves and completely shutting down the Maple Leafs over the course of the third period. Brandon Montour added to the lead with an impressive slapshot midway through the third period to put the Cats up 4-2. Montour’s game sealing goal came off one of Matthew Tkachuk’s three assists on the night. Tkachuk now has fourteen points through the first eight games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Game two will take place on Thursday night at 7PM in Toronto on TNT. The Panthers will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before heading back home to Sunrise for game three on Sunday. Regardless of the game two outcome, Cats’ fans should come away satisfied with stealing a game in Toronto and taking home ice advantage. If Tkachuk and Montour continue to play at this level with solid goaltending behind them, the Panthers will be a very tough out in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.