"That's playoff hockey," said Tkachuk, who ranks second in NHL playoff scoring with 14 points (five goals, nine assists). Whenever he got knocked down, he got back up and threw a huge hit of his own. In addition to his hits, he also dished out three assists, with two of them being primary. Ramping up their physicality in the playoffs, the Panthers rank second in the NHL with 314 hits through eight postseason games.ĭuring Game 1, a team-high nine of those hits came from Matthew Tkachuk.Ī truly elite playoff performer, Tkachuk was one of the driving forces behind Florida's success throughout the game. In addition to timely goals and strong goaltending, the Panthers went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and also out-hit the Maple Leafs 47-36. He stuck with it even when he wasn't playing. "He's been unreal," Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said of Bobrovsky, who began the playoffs backing up late-season hero Alex Lyon. 937 even-strength save percentage in the playoffs. On top of his game, Bobrovsky is 4-1 with a. Shutting the door on the Maple Leafs, Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished with 34 saves, stopped nine shots over the last 2:30 of regulation - including making a stunning toe save on a golden opportunity for William Nylander - to lock down an impressive win for the Panthers in Game 1. His sixth goal of the postseason, he's found the back of the net four times in his last three contests. The NHL's leader in goals by defenseman in the playoffs, Brandon Montour extended the lead to 4-2 at 12:24 of the third period when he blasted a slap shot through traffic and into the net. It settles you down after the period and you take a deep breath." "Instead of going in tied, you go up a goal. "Any time you can get a goal at the end of a period, it's huge," Verhaeghe said. Stealing all of that momentum back for the Panthers, Carter Verhaeghe stopped that mid-game push for the Maple Leafs when he beat Ilya Samsonov on a breakaway to make it 3-2 at 17:47. Not long after Sam Bennett doubled the lead to 2-0 at 7:58 of the second period when he tipped in a point shot from Aaron Ekblad, the Maple Leafs pulled even when rookie Matthew Knies and Michael Bunting lit the lamp at 8:09 and 14:51, respectively, to suddenly bring the score to 2-2.
A crucial early strike in enemy territory, the Panthers currently sit at 5-0 in the playoffs when scoring first. Even with only one day to catch their breath after eliminating the 65-win Bruins in seven games in Round 1, the Panthers didn't look the least bit tired during Game 1 against Toronto on Tuesday.Īfter killing off a pair of early power plays for the Maple Leafs, Nick Cousins opened the scoring with a rebound goal to put the Panthers up 1-0 at 9:25 of the first period.
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