Florida has won five straight games, four of which came away from home
The Florida Panthers knew heading into Game 2 that they would likely have to endure the best shot the host Toronto Maple Leafs had to offer.
That’s what happens when a team as lethal and talented as Toronto loses a series-opening game on home ice.
Florida took the Leafs’ best punch right on the chin, falling behind 2-0 early in the fisrt.
Then the Panthers did what they have time and time again, during their run to make the playoffs and throughout the games they’ve won since.
They got off the mat and kept fighting.
The Cats clawed their way back into the game and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky came up huge once again to lift Florida to a well-earned 3-2 victory in Game 2.
The Panthers will now return to South Florida for the first time in nearly a week with a 2-0 lead in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It will surely be nice for the Cats to return to FLA Live Arena, but they have had an amazing amount of success on the road so far during the postseason.
Since losing Game 1 in the opening round in Boston, the Panthers have reeled off five consecutive victories away from home, and in two of the toughest buildings for visiting teams to play in.
FIRST PERIOD
Toronto’s first good chance came after Bobrovsky gave the puck away behind the net to Michael Bunting about a minute into the game.
Bunting threw it on net from the corner, the play would continue, and Mark Giordano eventually got a good look on net coming down from the point, but Bob stood tall early.
Alex Kerfoot got the Leafs on the board just 2:20 into the game after Bobrovsky failed to hold on to the rebound of a Luke Shenn wrist shot from the point.
Kerfoot jumped on the puck and took it to the open side of the net, easily shooting it past a sprawling Bobrovsky.
Things went from bad to worse for Florida when a Zac Dalpe tripping penalty quickly turned into a power play goal for Ryan O’Reilly, and Toronto had a 2-0 lead just over five minutes into the game.
Matthew Tkachuk was sent to the box soon after on a charging call that appeared to be on the weaker side, but Florida was able to kill off the penalty.
Still, eight minutes into the game, Toronto was outshooting the Panthers 12-3 and leading 2-0.
Florida got on the board just past the midway point of the period off a gorgeous pass by Sam Reinhart.
Picking up the puck behind the Leafs net, Reinhart sent a pass back the way he came while Toronto goalie Ilya Samsonov tried to cheat and follow Reinhart out the other way.
Anton Lundell was cutting to the net and sent Reinhart’s pass into a wide-open back side of the net.
Florida nearly tied the game with 5:30 to go when Dalpe found Aaron Ekblad cutting down the seam, but Samsonov stayed with him and made a nice left pad stop.
A great end-to-end rush by Nick Cousins led to a clean look on goal for Tkachuk inside the left circle, but again it was Samsonov coming up with a save.
Toronto outshot the Panthers 16-9 during the first 20 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
SECOND PERIOD
Florida tied the game on the opening shift of the second period, with the top line leading the way.
Anthony Duclair made a nice zone entry and dropped the puck to Sasha Barkov, who crept down into the left circle before snapping a wrist shot under Samsonov’s glove just 46 seconds into the period.
Florida wasn’t done there as Gus Forsling gave the Panthers the lead just 20 seconds later, receiving a gorgeous cross-ice pass from Tkachuk and burying it.
Tkachuk was about to come off the ice, but when he saw Eetu Luostarinen force a turnover at the blue line, he instead worked a quick give-and-go with Lundell to free up space and allow Forsling a chance to move toward the net.
Two goals in 47 seconds and Florida was suddenly leading 3-2.
Toronto nearly tied the game off a deflection by Nylander on the doorstep but Bobrovsky’s best friend, the goal post, kept the puck from going in.
Both teams traded heart-stopping chances in the middle stages of the period, with each squad hitting a post.
Josh Mahura was hit square in the face with a shot as he followed his man from behind the net and was dripping blood as he quickly skated off the ice with Panthers Head Trainer Dave DiNapoli.
Toronto was given a power play when Bennett hit Michael Bunting up high in front of Florida’s net seconds after Morgan Reilly pulled down Verhaeghe driving the Toronto net, but no call was made.
The Panthers killed it off nicely, highlighted by a leaping right elbow save by Bobrovsky on Auston Matthews, who was all alone between the circles.
A relentless shift by the Bennett line drew a penalty as time expired.
Despite there being less than five seconds left, a Cousins hard check along the boards led to Tkachuk getting the puck in the high slot, and he was tripped by Matthews.
Florida would start the third with its first power play, leading Game 3 in Toronto by a goal.
THIRD PERIOD
Florida’s top power play unit couldn’t even get into the Leafs’ zone, but Verhaeghe and the second group were able to get a couple looks on Samsonov before Matthews came out of the box.
Toronto began turning up the pressure after killing off the penalty, but Bobrovsky was there to answer the bell.
He snapped closed his five-hole on Matthews after he got free at the bottom of the left circle, then moments later got his left shoulder on a missile of a shot by John Tavares.
Verhaeghe got Florida’s best two looks of the period, one on a partial breakaway and another on a curl and drag in the left circle, but both were stopped by Samsonov.
Toronto controlled the majority of play during the third period, bogging down the Panthers in their end.
Nylander got another great look after dancing around Marc Staal on the boards, but his backhand was thwarted by Bobrovsky’s stretching right pad.
The Leafs didn’t get Samsonov out of the net until around 90 seconds were left on the clock.
Bobrovsky made one more save on Nylander and then his final stop on Marner, both of whom led Toronto with six shots apiece, as the Panthers squeaked out a one-goal win in Game 2.
GAME NOTES
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