It is the second time both clubs have met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the past three seasons. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was not eligible to play due to a two-game suspension that carried over from their first round series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto players goalie Anthony Stolarz, forward Steven Lorentz and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was with Florida when they won the Stanley Cup last year.
It did not take long for Toronto to take a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the contest 33 seconds into the first period. Max Pacioretty cycled the puck from the end wall. William Nylander released a wrist shot from the low right circle past Sergei Bobrovsky for his fourth goal of the postseason. It was the third fastest goal in Leafs franchise history to begin a playoff series.
The Maple Leafs expanded it to 2-0 with 7:09 left in the first. Pacioretty made a drop pass on the left wing and an Ekman-Larsson shot was saved. Nylander got to the rebound in the low slot and he took a forehand shot from the top of the crease for his second tally of the game.
Florida cut it to 2-1 on the power play with 3:03 to go in the first. Carter Verhaeghe passed the puck from the left corner and Matthew Tkachuk zipped a pass from the right goal line. Seth Jones powered a snap shot from the top of the zone by Stolarz for his second goal of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Leafs answered back 19 seconds later with 2:44 remaining to increase it to 3-1. Nylander pushed a diagonal outlet pass out of his zone. Morgan Rielly carried the puck through center ice, into the Florida zone and snapped a shot from the inner left circle for his third playoff goal.
In the second period, Toronto made it 4-1 at the 7:50 mark. Matthew Knies touched it off a left-circle faceoff and Jake McCabe sent a cross-ice pass from the left point. Chris Tanev got his first goal in the playoffs on a wrist shot from the right point.
The Panthers tried to climbed into this contest early in the third period. Brad Marchand poked the puck from the right point to Anton Lundell on the right wing. He centered it Eetu Luostarinen tipped it in from the crease area at the 1:39 mark for his second postseason goal.
It became 4-3 several minutes later at 4:30. Marchand angled a pass from the right wing and Nate Schmidt made a diagonal pass from the top of the zone. Uvis Balinskis put in a wrist shot from the left circle for his first playoff tally.
Toronto regained a two-goal margin 5-3 with 6:00 remaining in the period. Mitch Marner chopped it out of the Maple Leafs zone to the red line. Knies went on a breakaway and scored with a backhand shot from the low slot and collected his fourth goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Florida pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and scored with 1:53 left in the third to trail 5-4. Verhaeghe passed from the end wall and Sam Bennett snapped a shot from the low left circle for his fourth postseason goal.
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