Panthers Put Down Maple Leafs

     The Florida Panthers played their second-to-last game this season and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. The Cats, who have won two of their last three games, conclude their 20th NHL season on Saturday against the playoff-bound Columbus Blue Jackets. The Maple Leafs lost their third straight game and 11th of its last 13 games.
     Florida(29-44-8) got on the scoreboard quickly at 6:06 of the first period to take the early lead. Quinton Howden sent a backhand pass from the left corner to Brandon Pirri at the top left circle and he snapped a shot by Drew MacIntyre. It was his 13rd goal this season and his sixth point in the last six games.
     In the second period, Toronto(38-35-8) was able to even the game at 4:13. Jake Gardiner carried the puck into the Panthers zone, fed Tyler Bozak in the left circle and he fired a slapshot through Roberto Luongo for the tally.
     The Panthers got a backbreaker of a goal with three seconds left in the period to make it 2-1. Nick Bjugstad skated the puck around the Maple Leafs cage for a wraparound pass from the left of the crease to Brad Boyes to the right of the blue point. He scored on a wrist shot for his 21st goal of the season.
     The Cats continued with their momentum early in the third period at 3:23 as they extended their lead to 3-1. Boyes cycled the puck from the left wing to behind the Leafs net, Sean Bergenheim tipped it to Bjugstad and he entered the low crease area and scored on a snap shot.
     Bjugstad would then score a shorthanded goal several minutes later at 6:02 for a three-goal cushion. Tomas Fleischmann came in on a 2-on-1 breakaway down the left side and give Bjugstad a cross-ice pass in the slot area for him to rip a wrist shot beyond the left glove of MacIntyre for his 16th goal. It was the second shorthanded goal by Florida at home this year and their seventh overall. Toronto gave up their league-leading 11th shorthanded goal on the road in 2013-14.
     The Maple Leafs closed to within two goals at 4-2 with 6:03 remaining. Bozak set up a slapshot by Paul Ranger at the top of the zone which went through traffic in the low slot and into the net. 
     Luongo improved his record this season to 25-22-7 this season as he made 27 saves. MacIntyre, who made his first start in net this year for Toronto, stopped 33 shots and fell to 0-1-0. Neither team scored on the power play as the Cats were 0-for-3 while the Leafs went 0-for-2.