Toronto Takes Commanding Lead: 4-3 Win Over Florida

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a 2-0 lead in their playoff series against the Florida Panthers with a 4-3 win, thanks to Mitch Marner's game-winning goal just 17 seconds after the Panthers tied the game in the third period.

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Florida Panthers after a thrilling 4-3 win in Game 2. Backup goalie Joseph Woll started in place of Anthony Stolarz, who was injured in Game 1.

Game Highlights

• First Period: The Panthers took an early lead when Aleksander Barkov scored on the power play, but Max Pacioretty tied the game 1-1 for the Maple Leafs with a net-front deflection.
• Second Period: Brad Marchand gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead with a beautiful backhand goal, but William Nylander and Max Pacioretty combined for a 2-on-1 play to tie the game. Max Domi later scored on another 2-on-1 play, giving the Maple Leafs their first lead.
• Third Period: Anton Lundell tied the game again with a net-front tap-in, but Mitch Marner scored the game-winner just 17 seconds later with a wrist shot past Sergei Bobrovsky.

LEAFS WWWWWWIN!!! pic.twitter.com/4IkEbJrZxG

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 8, 2025

The win puts the Maple Leafs in a strong position, with the series now shifting to Florida for the next games.

1st Period Recap

The Panthers started Joseph Woll in goal, filling in for the injured Anthony Stolarz. The game saw its first goal almost 11 minutes in, when Aleksander Barkov scored his second playoff goal, a power-play tally. The Maple Leafs quickly responded, tying the game on their third power-play opportunity, thanks to Max Pacioretty's 27th career playoff goal, his second of the series. This marked Pacioretty's fifth point in six games after missing the first two contests against Ottawa.

The teams were closely matched statistically, with Florida taking six shots on goal to Toronto's five, although Toronto outhit Florida 17-13 overall. The Maple Leafs dominated face-offs, winning 72.2% of them in the first period.

Second Period Highlights

The Panthers took the lead 15 seconds into the second period when Brad Marchand scored his first playoff goal with Florida, netting a stunning backhand goal to make it 2-1. This goal marked Marchand's 57th career playoff goal.

However, the Maple Leafs quickly responded, tying the game 2-2 when William Nylander scored on a breakaway, assisted by Max Pacioretty. This marked Nylander's sixth goal of the playoffs, moving him into sixth place. Pacioretty now has six points in six playoff games.

Following Nylander's goal, a scuffle unfolded when Scott Laughton delivered a rough hit on Evan Rodrigues, sending him to the locker room. Laughton received a double-minor penalty for roughing, while Nate Schmidt was given a minor penalty for retaliating in defense of his teammate.

The Maple Leafs capitalized on the momentum, taking a 3-2 lead into the second intermission after Max Domi scored.

Third Period Highlights

The third period got off to a frantic start when Anton Lundell scored his third playoff goal, tying the game 3-3 for the Florida Panthers. However, the Toronto Maple Leafs quickly regained the lead just 18 seconds later when Mitch Marner scored, giving his team a 4-3 advantage.

Despite pulling goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for an extra attacker with three minutes remaining, the Panthers couldn't capitalize on the power play, and the Leafs held on for the win, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.

Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a seven-game series have an 86% chance of winning, boasting a historical record of 358-57. This trend suggests Toronto's chances of advancing are high.

The Florida Panthers outshot the Toronto Maple Leafs 28-20, but Toronto's defensive efforts paid off with 25 blocks compared to Florida's eight. Meanwhile, Toronto slightly edged Florida in physical play, finishing with 41 hits to Florida's 39.