Panthers Take Maple Leafs In Game 3 Overtime

     Sam Reinhart scored in overtime as the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at FLA Live Arena on Sunday night. The Panthers, who have won a franchise-record six consecutive playoff victories, lead the best-of-seven series 3-0 and are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. 

     Reinhart became the third Florida player to get an overtime goal during this postseason. He joined Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe during their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. 

     It was the first time that the Panthers won a second-round home game since 1996 at Miami Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers. Florida has never swept an opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during their franchise history. The Panthers have a 3-0 series lead for the first time since the 1996 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals versus the Boston Bruins. 

     Toronto roared out to a 1-0 lead at the 2:26 mark of the first period. Morgan Rielly sent a long lead pass from his own zone to the Panthers blue line. David Kampf brought the puck to the right circle. He made a cross-ice pass and Sam Lafferty put in a one-time slap shot from the inner left circle past Sergei Bobrovsky for his first goal of the playoffs.

     In the second period, Florida tied it up 1-1 on the power play at 2:36. Aaron Ekblad connected a lead pass from his own blue line to Anthony Duclair at the Toronto blue line. He skated in on a breakaway through the slot area and placed in a forehand shot from the crease area by Joseph Woll for his second goal of the postseason. 

     The Maple Leafs took a 2-1 lead at the 7:32 mark of the second. William Nylander had a backhand pass from the right point to the middle. Erik Gustafsson carried the puck into the left circle and then angled a pass to his right. It went off the stick of Marc Staal in the crease area and into the cage for his first tally.

     The Panthers evened it 2-2 with 7:32 remaining in the second. Josh Mahura passed from the left point across the ice. Radko Gudas released a snap shot from the right point and it was redirected in by the backside of Verhaeghe in the slot area for his fourth goal in the Stanely Cup Playoffs. 

     The Cats won it in overtime at the 3:02 mark. Reinhart brought the puck into the Leafs zone and stopped in the right wing. He dumped it around the boards to Anton Lundell on the left wing. Lundell returned it the Reinhart behind the Maple Leafs net. He scored on a forehand wraparound shot for his fifth goal of the postseason. Aaron Ekblad was credited with a secondary assist from starting the play on his own end wall.