Maple Leafs Hold Off Panthers In Game 2

     The Toronto Maple Leafs handled the Florida Panthers 4-3 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. The series shifts to Sunrise for Game 3 on Friday night. 

     The Maple Leafs are 10 wins away from winning their first Stanley Cup title since 1967. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad returned to the lineup following a two-game suspension. Maple Leafs top goalie Anthony Stolarz did not dress for the contest due to an injury. 

     Florida got out to a 1-0 lead on the power play with 9:02 remaining in the first period. Aleksander Barkov won the faceoff in the left circle. Seth Jones angled a pass from the top of the zone and Barkov snapped a shot from the top left circle past Joseph Woll for his second playoff goal. 

     Toronto evened it up 1-1 with a power-play goal with 1:41 left in the first. Max Domi passed the puck from the right wing. Morgan Rielly took a shot from the right point that was deflected by Max Pacioretty from the top of the crease by Sergei Bobrovsky for his first goal of the series and the playoffs. 

     The Panthers regained a 2-1 lead 15 seconds into the second period. Eetu Luostarinen sent a diagonal pass from the left wing and Anton Lundell tapped the puck back from the low left circle. Brad Marchand carried it to the crease area and buried a backhand shot for his first postseason goal in a Panthers uniform. Marchand previously scored 56 playoff goals with the Boston Bruins. It was the second fastest goal by the Cats to begin a period this season. 

     The Maple Leafs tied it 2-2 at the 4:18 mark of the second. Oliver Ekman-Larsson deflected a centering pass out of his zone. Pacioretty gained control at the red line, entered the Panthers zone and slid a backhand pass from the right circle. William Nylander backhanded a shot from the low slot for his sixth goal in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

      It became 3-2 for Toronto with 2:51 to go in the period. Rielly zipped a lead pass from the neutral zone and Steven Lorentz made a square pass from the high slot. Domi released a wrist shot from the inner left circle for his second goal of the playoffs. 

      In the third period, the Cats pulled even 3-3 at 5:33. Ekblad put a shot on goal from the right wing and Lundell backhanded a shot from the blue paint for his third postseason tally. 

      The Maple Leafs moved ahead 17 seconds later to make it 4-3. Auston Matthews cycled the puck from the left wing and a Jake McCabe shot from the left point went wide right. Mitch Marner followed and collected his second playoff goal as he flicked a wrist shot from the right wing.