{ "blocks": [ { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Florida Panthers are turning into quite the Cinderella story. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "After squeaking into the playoffs as the second Wild Card team during the final week of the regular season, the Panthers have become playoff giant killers. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It was shocking enough to the hockey world when Florida took down the record-breaking Boston Bruins in seven games during the first round. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Now the Panthers are moving on to the Eastern Conference Final after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Home ice advantage? Who needs it. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Florida won all three games played in Toronto during the series and has now won six consecutive postseason road contests. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Panthers reward for their back-to-back upsets?" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "They get to face the Metropolitan Division Champion Carolina Hurricanes. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Before shifting focus to the challenge ahead, let’s not forget the accomplishments of today." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Florida has become the playoff team that nobody wants to play. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Nobody ever denied the Panthers’ talent and ability to put the puck in the net, but there is quite a bit more depth to what they do on a nightly basis now. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "They’ve become an extremely physical team that forces opponents out of their comfort zone and wears players down by punishing them over and over with a relentless forechecking game. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "But there is also an X-factor that has put the Panthers over the top in terms of a lack of weaknesses. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "That difference maker is Sergei Bobrovsky. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bob was brilliant during the Toronto series, giving up two goals in each of the five games while stopping 164 of 174 shots for a .942 save percentage. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The way Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice has his Panthers playing, it appears the team will go as far as Bobrovsky will take them. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "As long as Bob is playing at this level, it’s going to be very difficult to defeat Florida. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "FIRST PERIOD" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "On the first shift of the game Auston Matthews found Mitch Marner alone in the high slot, but the long wrist shot was stopped by the blocker of Bobrovsky. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Eetu Luostarinen took a high stick from Jake McCabe less than a minute later, giving Florida an early power play. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Right off the next draw, Joseph Woll made a save on Sam Bennett and then stopped Sasha Barkov’s rebound chance, indicating the rookie goalie was locked in from the start. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Toward the end of the penalty, Florida’s second power play unit was able to cash in. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Defenseman Aaron Ekblad blasted a one-timer that went off Woll’s glove but trickled over the goal line to give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Less than five minutes into the game, shots on goal were 9-1 in favor of Florida. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Toronto would get their first power play about three minutes later when Ekblad was called for tripping Sam Lafferty. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bobrovsky came up with big stops on Matthews, twice, and then John Tavares on a down-low deflection to keep the Leafs off the scoreboard. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Sam Bennett laid a big hit on Tavares in front of the penalty boxes, knocking the Leafs’ star to the seat of his pants. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The hit led to a nice opportunity for Matthew Tkachuk down low on Woll, but the goaltender absorbed the puck and made sure there was no rebound to be had. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bobrovsky made back-to-back save on William Nylander, but in the same sequence Radko Gudas was called for interference on T.J. Brodie in front of the crease. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Florida’s penalty kill again came up big, led by Bobrovsky and a great individual efforts by Ekblad and Eric Staal. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Remember when the Cats were leading 9-1 in shots? When the penalty was over, Toronto held the edge 12-11. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "A nice save by Bobrovsky on McCabe led right to a Panthers goal. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Anthony Duclair held the puck just long enough for Verhaeghe to come open down the right side of Toronto’s zone before sliding a pass right into Verhaeghe’s wheelhouse. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The one-timer beat Woll on the short side, giving Florida a 2-0 lead that they would take into the first intermission. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Toronto ended up outshooting the Cats 13-12 but Florida had the edge where it counted. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "SECOND PERIOD" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Tavares forced a turnover from Gus Forsling deep in Florida’s zone early in the second period, leading to solid scoring opportunity for the Leafs, but they were again stymied by Bobrovsky. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Florida then took a turn generating a look on goal when Tkachuk forced a turnover at the Leafs blue line. It led to Bennett finding Nick Cousins alone down low, but his shot was blocked by Matthews. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It was Toronto’s first shot block of the game, which was interesting considering they blocked 21 in Game 4. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bobrovsky continued to look sharp, stopping a laser from the point off the stick of Mark Giordano and then diving on the rebound just as Tavares was about to get a stick on it. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Toronto finally got on the board with just over 12 minutes to go in the period. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Morgan Reilly sent a point shot toward the net that went off Cousins' leg on the way in. The deflected puck squeaked through Bobrovsky and into the net. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Momentum was shifting in Toronto’s favor as the sellout crowd at Scotiabank Arena was as loud as it had been all night. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Marc Staal required some medical attention after blocking a centering pass with the side of his head, right in the ear area, on a Leafs’ odd-man rush. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Play was whistled down, much to the chagrin of the paying audience at Scotiabank Arena, but Staal stayed on Florida’s bench and did not miss any game time. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Reilly thought he scored after sliding the puck under Bobrovsky late in the period when he found himself with tons of space on the right side of Florida’s zone. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Though Reilly and the Leafs celebrated as though the puck had gone in, the call on the ice was no goal." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "After an extensive review, the call was upheld by the off-ice officials, much to the chagrin of Maple Leafs fans who delayed the re-start of the game due to all the trash they threw on the ice. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The second period would end with Florida leading Toronto 2-1" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "THIRD PERIOD" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Toronto opened the third period with a flurry of shots on Bobrovsky. He stopped Luke Schenn, Nylander, Marner and Matthews in a span of about 15 seconds. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Whenever the Leafs had the puck, Florida was dropping back and trying to keep them from entering the zone with possession or speed. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Panthers’ exciting moments during the early stages of the period came when Bennett leveled Reilly in the corner of the Leafs’ zone, after which Verhaeghe nearly got a breakaway on Woll, but his shot attempt whistled wide. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Through the first ten minutes of the third period, Toronto outshot the Panthers 8-2. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Time continued to slowly tick away and Bobrovsky remained a brick wall for Florida. When the game hit the final TV timeout of the third period, Bob was already up to 41 saves. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "With 4:26 to go Nylander came flying down the right side and sent a shot from below the circle that went over Bobrovsky’s shoulder and into the top of the net, tying the game at two. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The shot was from an extremely sharp angle, an area goals don’t normally get scored from, but Nylander’s speed allowed him to catch Bobrovsky in an awkward motion. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He then wired a perfectly placed shot over an exposed part of the net. It was a great play by Nylander. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Now it would be up to the Panthers to make the memorable moment the last one Leafs fans would enjoy this season. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "For the second time in the series, Florida and Toronto were heading to overtime. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "OVERTIME" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Calle Jarnkrok cut in alone on Bobrovsky during the first minute of overtime but couldn’t get the puck past Florida’s goaltender. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bob came up huge a couple minutes later on Matthews, when the Leafs’ star got two shots on goal from in tight. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bobrovsky slid to his right and got his blocker on the first shot, stopping the second with his leg pad. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Florida was given a power play with 12:25 to go after Brodie fired the puck out of play from the Leafs defensive zone. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Woll was solid, making three saves during the penalty including a point-blank look from Reinhart down low." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": " A great hustle play by Gudas led to the series-clinching goal. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Ryan O’Reilly and Timothy Liljegren collided in front of Florida’s goal, giving the Cats an opportunity to counterattack with numbers. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Gudas recognized the situation, put his head down and hauled ass up the ice to give Florida an odd-man rush as Cousins carried the puck into the Leafs zone. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The lumbering defenseman didn’t stop there. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "As Cousins moved toward Toronto’s goal, Gudas went straight to the top of the crease and parked his massive frame in front of Woll. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Cousins kept the puck on his blade and cut to the middle of the ice before firing a shot past Woll as Gudas jumped in the air to screen him. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Game over. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Series over. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "On to the conference final. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "GAME NOTES" } }, { "type": "list", "data": { "style": "unordered", "items": [ "After having zero points in the Boston series, Ekblad logged five points in five games against Toronto. He had a goal and an assist on Friday. " ] } }, { "type": "list", "data": { "style": "unordered", "items": [ "Verhaeghe also had a goal and an assist in Game 5. He’s up to five goals and 12 points in 12 playoff games. " ] } }, { "type": "list", "data": { "style": "unordered", "items": [ "Bobrovsky has now won 13 playoff games as a member of the Panthers, tying the franchise record set by John Vanbiesbrouck in 1996 and 1997. " ] } }, { "type": "list", "data": { "style": "unordered", "items": [ "Toronto’s 53 shots were a postseason high for the Leafs. Bobrovsky stopped 51 of them. " ] } }, { "type": "list", "data": { "style": "unordered", "items": [ "Gudas logged assists in both of Florida’s overtime wins over Toronto. He had the only helper on Cousins’ game-winner. " ] } }, { "type": "list", "data": { "style": "unordered", "items": [ "Speaking of Cousins, in addition to his overtime tally, he also led all Panthers players with seven hits. " ] } } ] }

Nick Cousins scores in OT to send Panthers past Toronto and into conference final