Florida won a Game 1 contest of a postseason series for the first time since a victory over the New York Rangers in the 1997 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Miami Arena. The Panthers also were victorious in a second-round game for the first time since 1996 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Panthers are playing in the second round during consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history. The Cats won just their third first-round playoff series in team history back on Sunday against the Boston Bruins.
The Maple Leafs reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Leafs have gone longer than any other club in National Hockey League history to win the Stanley Cup. They last captured the Stanley Cup 56 years ago in 1967.
Florida jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 9:35 mark. Sam Bennett chipped the puck from the end wall to the right corner. Matthew Tkachuk took a wrist shot from the low right circle and Ilya Samsonov made a blocker save. Nick Cousins lifted a backhand shot from the left of the crease for his first goal of the playoffs.
In the second period, the Panthers extended it to 2-0 at 7:58. Tkachuk sent the puck from the right corner to the right point. Aaron Ekblad snapped a shot from the right point, and it was deflected in by Sam Bennett from the top of the crease for his fourth goal in the postseason. Ekblad chalked up his first assist in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto answered back and closed it to 2-1 just nine seconds later. Morgan Rielly banked a pass from his own blue line off the side boards to Auston Matthews at the Panthers blue line. He centered a backhand pass from the left wing and Matthew Knies put in a second-chance backhand shot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his first tally.
The Maple Leafs tied it up 2-2 with 5:09 remaining in the second. Ryan O'Reilly carried the puck into the Panthers zone and pushed a square pass to Calle Jarnkrok on his right. He made a diagonal pass from the right wing and Michael Bunting dragged in a backhand shot for his first goal.
The Cats regained the lead 3-2 with 2:13 left in the period. Aleksander Barkov cleared the puck out of his zone with a backhand outlet pass to the right side. Anthony Duclair threaded a lead pass in the neutral zone. Carter Verhaeghe skated in on a breakaway and scored on a snap shot from the slot area for his third goal of the postseason. He found the back of the cage for the second straight game. Verhaeghe passed Dave Lowry and Ray Sheppard and in Florida Panthers franchise history with his 11th postseason goal.
Florida made it 4-2 on delayed penalty with 7:36 to go in the third. Tkachuk connected a cross-ice pass from the left wing to Marc Staal on the right wing. He angled a pass back to the top of the zone and Brandon Montour rocketed a one-time slap shot for his sixth goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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