The Toronto Maple Leafs passed a crucial test Monday night. Barely. And a completely different one looms now.
From the 33-second mark, when William Nylander beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a short-side wrist shot, it appeared the Leafs would enthusiastically ace Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Twelve minutes later, Nylander settled down a rebound, showed silky poise and deked out Bobrovsky to put Toronto up 2-0. It was Nylander’s 10th goal in his last 13 playoff games. His frosty precision represented a Toronto team finally looking ready to handle the moment. Even when Seth Jones’ long-distance point shot on the power play cut the lead to 2-1, Morgan Rielly finished off a 2-on-1 just 19 seconds later to widen the lead again. Toronto had its swagger from puck drop at Scotiabank Arena and didn’t shy away from the Panthers’ physicality.
But just when it felt like Toronto would cruise, after a Chris Tanev point shot bounced past Bobrovsky to make it 4-1 early in the second…everything changed. If you’re a long-suffering Leafs fan, you’re used to these sudden, pivotal, series-changing phenomena. Toronto was victim to one in the 2023 playoffs when the Panthers’ Sam Bennett concussed Matthew Knies with a heavy hit, and Monday night, it was Bennett again, buzzing the Toronto net and clipping goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the side of the head. Was it an accidental shot or was it an example of the famously disruptive, mean power forward knowing exactly what he was doing?
“Elbow to the head, clear as day,” said Leafs coach Berube.
“The referee was standing right there when it happened,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice.
Clean or not, the play altered the course of the game. Stolarz removed himself after a couple minutes and ended up vomiting on the bench. He reportedly left Scotiabank Arena on a stretcher. Backup Joseph Woll entered the game cold during a TV timeout, and his night was adventurous to say the least. He’s the quicker, more athletic goaltender than Stolarz and has better rebound control, but the calmness Stolarz has brought to the crease so far in these playoffs evaporated once Woll took the net.
“You go from just kind of chillin’ to being in the front line of action,” Woll said. “I’ve been trying to do my best to stay prepared, be ready for moments like that. You never know what happens. [You] just try to get the feel back.”
Woll fought the puck, struggling to find it through traffic. He was beaten on a deft deflection by Eetu Luostarinen early in the third. Florida’s third goal was the most concerning, as depth defenseman Uvis Balinskis scored on a shot Woll saw all the way. He saved -0.86 goals above expected after taking over at the 30:12 mark.
The good news: the Leafs, simply a more mature and composed team under Berube, refused to wilt. When the home crowd began to hold its breath after Florida narrowed the score to 4-3, Knies played hero, winning a foot race against Carter Verhaeghe, galloping end-to-end and roofing a backhander over Bobrovsky’s shoulder to make it 5-3.
“Somebody asked me what I was most impressed by with Knies, I said his hands,” Berube said. “He’s got great hands in tight. And I didn’t know this coming here. And you see the power in the skating and the physicality and that sort of stuff, but the hands are really good in tight. And that was a great example of it tonight, the goal he scored.”
Scotiabank Arena’s collective blood pressure spiked again when a Bennett shot ramped up Brandon Carlo’s stick and past a helpless Woll with 1:55 to go but, again, the Leafs held on. They walked away with a 5-4 victory. Toronto survived a tense third period in which the Panthers controlled more than 64 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5. The Leafs played a disciplined game, avoiding many post-whistle skirmishes. And they now lead a playoff series in Round 2 for the first time since 200
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