Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 29 saves while Sam Reinhart added a goal and an assist

Florida Panthers fans packed Amerant Bank Arena for the team’s home opener on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A sellout crowd of 19,288 saw the Panthers hold on to a late lead for the second straight game and defeat Toronto 3-1.

Before the opening puck drop, the team celebrated its memorable run to the Stanley Cup Final with a ceremony for Florida’s 2022-23 Eastern Conference Champions banner that is now hanging in the rafters.

Once things got going, the Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Kevin Stenlund and Oliver-Ekman Larsson.

Penalty trouble cost Florida during the second period as twice a Panthers penalty negated an ongoing power play. The second time it happened, Toronto’s Mitch Marner made the Cats pay, pouncing on a rebound while right in Sergei Bobrovsky’s kitchen.

The game tightened up significantly during the third period after a bit of a wide-open first 40 minutes.

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was strong throughout the night but was particularly solid down the stretch as Toronto pressed for a tying goal. He finished with 29 saves. 

Here are some thoughts and observations from Thursday’s home opener:

One thing the Panthers appeared to do more against Toronto than in the first three games was dump the puck into the offensive zone and force zone time through retrieval and possession.

Florida’s top power play continues to show some impressive puck movement. As they continue to gel, we should see more pucks to the net in high-danger times and places.

The Panthers fourth line had some effective offensive zone shifts. It was nice to see them rewarded with a goal.

For the second straight game, Sergei Bobrovsky’s rebound control was quite good.

Florida’s penalty kill has now surrendered five PPGs on 16 opportunities. 

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