Panthers Blow By Maple Leafs

     Jonathan Huberdeau passed Olli Jokinen for the Florida Panthers franchise record with his 420th point as the Panthers pounded the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-4 at BB&T Center on Sunday night. It was the second time in three weeks that the Panthers were involved in the Sunday night Hometown Hockey television program in Canada.
     The Panthers are now one point behind Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division. Brian Boyle participated in his 800th NHL game for the Cats. The Maple Leafs have not won a contest in Sunrise since December 28, 2016.
     Florida(24-16-5) struck immediately at 1:49 of the first period to lead 1-0. Vincent Trocheck pushed it forward from the left point. Brett Connolly brought the puck to the low left circle and sent a cross-ice pass. Josh Brown put in a one-time forehand shot from the slot area for his first goal of the year. Trocheck extended his assist and point streaks to four games.
     The Panthers increased it 2-0 at the 3:47 mark. Colton Sceviour handed the puck from the right corner to Mark Pysyk. He skated it to the end wall, centered it to the middle and Aleksander Barkov snapped a shot from the low slot for his 14th goal of the season.
     The Cats made it a three-goal gap with 6:21 left in the period. Frank Vatrano cleared the puck out to center from his own zone. Dominic Toninato took the puck into the Maple Leafs zone and angled a pass to his left. Mike Hoffman scored on a wrist shot past Frederik Andersen for his 17th goal of the campaign. Hoffman scored in his fourth consecutive game for the Panthers.
      In the second period, Florida continued the avalanche 49 seconds in to move ahead 4-0. Trocheck dropped the puck from the low left circle to Connolly on the left wing. Mike Matheson then ripped a slap shot from the left point for his fifth goal. Michael Hutchinson entered the game and replaced Andersen in net for Toronto.
     The Panthers scored a shorthanded goal at 2:25 for a 4-1 lead. Barkov picked up a loose puck at the Florida blue line and skated it down the left side to the left circle. He passed it to his right and Vatrano swept in a shot from the low slot.
     Toironto(25-15-6) finally got on the scoreboard at the 3:30 mark and cut it to 5-1. Kasperi Kapanen moved the puck from the left wing. Morgan Rielly blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone that missed everything and hit the end wall. It came to the left of the crease and Zach Hyman lifted a backhand shot by Chris Driedger. Kapanen increased his point streak to five games.
     Florida regained a five-goal lead at 5:46 as they scored their sixth goal on just their 14th shot on goal in the contest. Trocheck intercepted a pass in his own and raced through the neutral zone on the right side during a 2-on-1 break. He reached the top right circle and beat Hutchinson on a snap shot.
     It became 7-1 for Florida with 7:22 remaining in the second period. Barkov backhanded a cross-ice pass from the right circle. Jonathan Huberdeau faked a forehand shot, went to his right and made a backhand shot from the blue paint for his 18th goal of the season.
     The Maple Leafs capped the second frame with two goals and trailed 7-3. Mitch Marner stuffed a rebound from the crease area with seven minute left and now has a seven-game point streak. John Tavares snapped a shot from the high slot for his 17th goal of the campaign with 4:33 to go.
     Toronto stayed in the contest as they got a tally 34 seconds into the third period and it became 7-4. Marner performed a give-and-go pass in the crease area with Hyman and had the puck glance off his right skate and into the Panthers cage.
     Huberdeau set the Panthers all-time points record at the 4:33 mark on the power play which gave them an 8-4 lead. Evgenii Dadonov connected a pass from the high slot area. Huberdeau fed a cross-ice pass from the left circle and Hoffman shot the puck from the right circle. It was the second goal of the contest for Hoffman.