William Nylander made a statement to open the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring twice in the first period and adding an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs outlasted the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena to take a 1-0 series lead.
Nylander’s early spark helped Toronto jump out to a commanding lead before holding off a furious Florida rally in the third period. The Swedish winger, who now has five goals in the postseason, nearly completed a hat trick in the second period but was denied by Sergei Bobrovsky on a heavy shot that knocked the stick out of the goalie’s hand.
The Maple Leafs, seeking revenge after last season’s second-round exit to Florida in five games, wasted no time asserting themselves. Nylander opened the scoring just 33 seconds after the opening puck drop, sneaking a tight-angle shot through Bobrovsky’s five-hole for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
He struck again with 7:09 left in the first, collecting a rebound and freezing Bobrovsky with a smooth deke before roofing his second of the period. Although Florida answered with a power-play goal from Seth Jones — his second of the playoffs — Toronto quickly responded. Nylander fed Morgan Rielly on a 2-on-1 break, and the veteran defenseman beat Bobrovsky with a perfectly placed wrist shot to make it 3-1 just 19 seconds later.
Toronto extended the lead to 4-1 midway through the second when Chris Tanev’s knuckling shot fooled Bobrovsky for his first goal of the postseason. Tanev also contributed an assist, while fellow blueliner Jake McCabe added two helpers.
The period’s biggest turning point came when Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz — who stopped 8 of 9 shots in relief of Ilya Samsonov — took an elbow to the back of the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett during a power play. Bennett went unpenalized, but Stolarz was clearly affected and later seen vomiting by the bench. He did not return and was replaced by Joseph Woll, who made 17 saves down the stretch.
Florida, which eliminated Tampa Bay in five games in the first round, showed their championship mettle in the third period. Goals from Eetu Luostarinen and Uvis Balinskis early in the frame closed the gap to 4-3, as Toronto’s lead was suddenly under siege.
Despite two failed power plays and a missed breakaway opportunity by Max Domi, the Leafs got breathing room when rookie Matthew Knies finished a clean breakaway with a backhander to make it 5-3 with six minutes to go. Knies also added an assist for a two-point night.
The Panthers weren’t done. Bennett, the subject of controversy earlier in the game, scored off a deflection with 1:55 left to cut the deficit to one. But Woll stood tall in the final minutes, preserving the victory.
Florida played without top defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who served the final game of a two-game suspension for a headshot in Round 1. The Panthers will look to regroup ahead of Game 2, scheduled for Wednesday night in Toronto before the series shifts to Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4.
The Maple Leafs’ Game 1 win marks a strong start in their bid for only their third playoff series win in over two decades. With three former Panthers — Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forward Steven Lorentz — now on the Leafs’ roster, Toronto appears hungry for payback against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
Game 2 promises more fireworks as a high-octane series gains momentum.
