Mitch Marner scored the winner within the third interval and Joseph Woll made 25 saves instead of the injured Anthony Stolarz because the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Florida Panthers 4-3 to take a 2-0 lead of their second-round playoff sequence Wednesday.
Max Pacioretty and Max Domi, with a purpose and an help every, and William Nylander supplied the remainder of the offence for the Leafs. Morgan Rielly added two assists.
Anton Lundell, with a purpose and an help, Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand replied for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who discover themselves down two video games in a sequence for the primary time because the 2023 remaining.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 photographs.
The most effective-of-seven matchup between Atlantic Division heavyweights now shifts to South Florida, with Recreation 3 set for Friday.
Woll bought the beginning after Stolarz exited halfway via Monday’s opener following an elbow to the top from Panthers centre Sam Bennett. The Leafs’ No. 1 crease possibility additionally took a puck up excessive on a shot that knocked off his masks within the opening interval.
Woll, who entered with a .950 save proportion in his 4 earlier playoff begins, carried out nicely when he was additionally known as upon in each the 2023 and 2024 post-seasons due to damage.
Toronto led 3-2 after two durations, however Florida bought even at 5:33 of the third when Lundell shovelled his third purpose of the playoffs previous Woll.
Marner rapidly recaptures lead
The house facet restored its lead simply 17 seconds later when Marner, who grew to become a father for the primary time Sunday morning, fired a shot from the boards that discovered its means via visitors previous a stunned Bobrovsky for his second.
Woll was then at full stretch with 9:59 left in regulation to make an enormous cease on Mackie Samoskevich to maintain the Leafs up 4-3 earlier than Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe swatted a unfastened puck out of the crease with below six minutes to go.
The Panthers continued to press and Sam Reinhart hit the submit with simply over three minutes on the clock earlier than the Leafs held on late to seize a 2-0 benefit within the sequence.
Florida, which beat Toronto in 5 video games two years in the past on the similar stage of the playoffs, went forward 2-1 simply 15 seconds into the center interval when Marchand — a Leafs playoff nemesis as a member of the Boston Bruins— took a move from Lundell down low off a Rielly turnover and roofed his first.
A tough-hitting, frenetic interval continued at a pulsating Scotiabank Enviornment with bodily play on each side.
The Leafs pushed in entrance 3-2 with 2:51 remaining within the interval when Domi took a move from Steven Lorentz on a 2-on-1 and one-timed his second over a sprawling Bobrovsky.
Toronto bought nothing from two disjointed energy performs inside the sport’s first 10 minutes earlier than Florida struck 5 seconds into its first man benefit when Barkov fired previous Woll for his second at 10:58.
Bobby McMann, who took a tripping penalty on Marchand to arrange the Panthers’ breakthrough, jumped on a turnover solely to be denied on a breakaway by Bobrovsky.
The Leafs bought their third energy play of the interval when Dmitry Kulikov was whistled for delay of recreation for capturing the puck out of play.
Toronto once more did not get a lot going till the second unit took the ice. Rielly fired a shot from the purpose late within the man benefit that Pacioretty _ a wholesome scratch to start out the playoffs earlier than scoring the series-clinching purpose towards the Ottawa Senators within the first spherical _ tipped it upstairs for his second with 1:41 left earlier than the intermission.
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