Global Courant 2023-05-05 07:04:38
Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves as the visiting Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Anton Lundell, with a goal and an assist, Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling scored for Florida.
Ryan O’Reilly and Alexander Kerfoot answered for Toronto, who blew an early 2-0 lead. Ilya Samsonov stopped 26 shots.
The best-of-seven series now shifts to Sunrise, Florida, for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Wednesday, with the Leafs facing a steep climb.
Leading 2-1 after a spirited, spirited first period, disaster struck for Toronto early in the second.
Barkov brought in the score in just 19 seconds on a shot from good Samsonov should have stopped for his second goal of the post-season.
Things got worse 47 seconds after that thanks to some sloppy play with the puck in the defensive zone when Mitch Marner turned an ill-advised pass to Auston Matthews, who in turn couldn’t get it out of their goal.
Florida responded quickly, with Forsling rounding out a Matthew Tkachuk lineup—his fourth of the series—for his second and a 3–2 lead.
LOOK | Forsling scores starting goal for Panthers in Game 2 victory:
Forsling’s goal in 2nd period proves winner, Panthers take Game 2
Gustav Forsling’s goal in the second period put the Panthers ahead for good as Florida defeated Maple Leafs 3-2 to lead the series 2-0.
The shocked Leafs took a moment to recover before Nylander hit the post with a shot that also hit Bobrovsky in the back and failed. Florida defenseman Brandon Montour then found iron on Samsonov at the other end.
Leafs captain John Tavares had a big chance up front before Josh Mahura took a Nylander shot off the crosshairs that left a trail of blood on the ice as he headed to the locker room. The Panthers defender returned for third after being repaired.
Toronto came out for third with much urgency, but couldn’t fix Bobrovsky, who began to rediscover his Vezina Trophy-winning form in these playoffs after losing the starting job to third-stringer Alex Lyon late in the regular season.
Tavares was only stopped on Florida’s goaltender and Nylander hit another post. The Leafs winger was also tightly denied with five minutes left in regulation.
The home team continued to push for an extra striker with Samsonov on the bench, but failed to get past Bobrovsky.
Fans react at the tailgate of the Maple Leafs outside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena during Game 2 on Thursday. (Nav Rahi/CBC)
Toronto dropped the series opener 4-2 at the Scotiabank Arena, but got off to a flying start on Thursday as Kerfoot reeled in the rebound of a Luke Schenn punt shot for his second at 2:20 of the first to ignite the rink – and the crowd of fans watching outside the building on Maple Leaf Square’s big screen.
Unable to connect on two early power plays in Game 1, the Leafs made it 2-0 on a man advantage at 5:10 as Marner dangled around the offensive zone and found O’Reilly burying his third on a one-time timer.
Ryan O’Reilly is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the first period on Thursday. (Heather Waldron/CBC)
The hard-hitting Panthers, who upset the record-breaking Boston Bruins in seven games to make it to the second round, stayed on top and began to push back as the period progressed, including Sam Bennett who put Matthew Knies in a submission hold and sent him to the hit ground. the ice.
The rookie from Toronto finished the period, but did not return for the second thanks to an undisclosed injury.
Florida responded at 11:13 when Lundell scored his first after linemate Eetu Luostarinen crushed Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren behind Samsonov’s net and Tavares fell.
