Global Courant 2023-05-03 07:01:49
Sheldon Keefe saw his team make two errors – blunders not seen in the first round of the playoffs – that led directly to goals conceded.
After the Maple Leafs recovered to tie the game again, another costly mistake proved one too many to overcome.
Toronto is now in the exact spot it was after Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning – chasing the series and looking for answers.
Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner, Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves and Matthew Tkachuk set up three goals as the Florida Panthers survived an extended 2-0 lead to beat the Leafs 4-2 in Tuesday’s opener in their second round game.
“They force you to make mistakes,” says Keefe, Toronto’s head coach. “But I thought we made some mistakes that we didn’t necessarily make in the last series.”
Sam Bennett, with a goal and an assist, Nick Cousins and Brandon Montour provided the rest of the offense for Florida, who roared back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the record-breaking Boston Bruins with three consecutive wins and that first grab. round matchup in seven games Sunday. Aleksander Barkov had two assists.
“When we’re a little tired because that (Bruin’s) series was tough, it’s kind of our normal day,” said Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, whose group had less than 48 hours to recover before hitting the ice in Toronto. “If you look at our schedule at the end of January, it was brutal. And then we started playing our best hockey.
“So being in the mud, as we would say, we’re kind of used to it.”
WATCH l Panthers steal Game 1 in Toronto:
Montour’s 6th goal of postseason seals deal, Panthers claim Game 1 over Leafs
Brandon Montour’s goal in the third period secured a 4–2 victory for Florida over Toronto, giving the Panthers a 1–0 series lead.
Matthew Knies, with his first NHL goal, and Michael Bunting answered for Toronto.
The Leafs ended a run of woes on Saturday when John Tavares scored in overtime of Game 6 against Tampa to see the Original Six franchise advance into the postseason for the first time since 2004, but he was unable to continue that momentum.
Ilya Samsonov stopped 24 shots for the Leafs, who host Game 2 with the Panthers on Thursday before the series shifts to South Florida.
“They played well,” said Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn, whose team lost 7-3 to the Lightning in Game 1 on the same ice last round. “But many of the goals that were scored were self-inflicted.
“We have a lot more to give.”
Fans react Tuesday during the first game of the second round of the Maple Leafs-Panthers Stanley Cup playoffs at the Maple Leafs’ tailgate outside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. (Nav Rahi/CBC)
With the 2-2 tied at the end of the second period with the Leafs pressing, the never-say-die visitors—the Bruins learned firsthand—reacted to silence Scotiabank Arena’s towel-waving crowd. to take.
Verhaeghe, who scored the dramatic winner in Game 7 against Boston, took a pass from Anthony Duclair to give his team the lead for good as he beat Samsonov on a breakaway at 17:47 for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
“The one guy we definitely don’t want to give an escape to,” Keefe complained. “A big part of the plan is how to jump into those gaps. We can’t make that mistake.
Toronto had a few chances to tie the score in the third, but never really threatened Bobrovsky before Montour shot a one-timer at 12:24 on a delayed penalty after Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe felled Tkachuk.
“As hockey progresses, we have come together to support and help each other,” said Bobrovsky. “We’ve become like a family every day (since) the playoffs started.”
The Florida goaltender was besieged late, including a great toe stop on William Nylander with just over a minute left in regulation over Toronto’s best chance to come back in under one minute.
“We made some plays,” said Leafs winger Mitch Marner, announced as one of three Selke Trophy nominees as the NHL’s top defensive forward.
“Give them too many clean looks at our net.”
Maple Leafs’ Ryan O’Reilly collides with Sam Bennett, who had a goal and an assist to help the Panthers in their Game 1 road victory. (Heather Waldron/CBC)
The Leafs took to the ice in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since Jeremy Roenick scored in OT of Game 6 for the Philadelphia Flyers to eliminate Toronto on May 4, 2004 – a span of 18 years, 11 months and 28 days.
After the home side saw some great looks on two power plays on a rink ready to erupt, the Panthers struck when Cousins scored his first on a rebound at 9:25 of the opening period.
Bobrovsky made some huge saves off Auston Matthews on a Leafs power play in the second inning before Florida went up 2-0 at 7:58 when Bennett tagged a run past Samsonov that initially hit Knies’ stick.
The Toronto rookie made amends 11 seconds later when he scored his first professional goal on a peak between his skates and with his back to Florida’s goal after Bobrovsky made the first save.
“Surreal feeling”, says 20-year-old Knies. “Especially in the playoffs in the home arena.”
Schenn then rocked Tkachuk with a big hit in the neutral zone before Bunting, who was suspended for three games in the first round and made a healthy scratch for another, scored his first at 14:51 on a perfect pass from Calle Jarnkrok.
Toronto kept up the physical play from the blue line as Morgan Rielly rocked Eric Stall and beat McCabe Duclair.
But the latter got the last laugh when he jumped up Verhaeghe shortly after to put the Panthers up 3-2.
“They did to us what they did to Boston a lot by making sure we didn’t get out of our zone and put those plays on quickly,” said Keefe. “Before you know it, it’s coming your way.
“They’re doing a great job of that.”
The Leafs will have to find an answer.
