PAUL MAURICE, Panthers Playoff Postgame Game 1: Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Florida 4

the way that the start of the game looked and how it finished there. Yeah. I mean, you’re not going to expect that you can look either way again. You’re hopeful that you don’t look the way you did at the start, but the other team’s protecting the lead at that point, so they’re not going to look like that either. We just it was the perfect storm of that’s not the way you want to start when you’re uh everybody’s got lots of energy and and and jump, but there’s some tension to it always at the start. So when you’re behind one and that was our first period, you know, we just we didn’t look like ourselves and then right at it in the second and after that had a pretty good push in the third. Paul, what what do you attribute that sloppy start to the first two? coaching all your that’s what I do. Sorry to interrupt. Your vantage point of uh a play with involving Sam Bennett and Anthony Stolar. Stolar is obviously leaving the game. Not nearly as good as the referee’s vantage point standing right there. He saw it. So coach’s coach. You know what it hopeful for Anthony and his help his health like we love that guy and we hope he gets better real fast. Is there Thanks. Is there anything, Paul, that the Leafs did early in the first period that might have caught you guys off guard? Played us. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, we’re both going to look at it. They had the home count jump. They were humping pretty good. We were a little late on just about everything that we did. Um, yeah, that’s about it. They were good. They were good on the start. Paul, the PK to be able to go five for five and keep you guys in striking range. How important was that? You guys have such a big part of our game and uh you need, you know, you’re going to need to take some confidence out of out of a loss. It would be that would be the piece to our game that kind of looked like we we supposed to look in general. Um so that’s solid. Paul got here late. Our apologies for that. Just the uh the Sam Bennett elbow on on Anthony Stolars. I uh what’s going to happen? You’re going to light your hair on fire and I’m going to let you I’ I’ve asked one answered one on it. I understand that you’re late. The referee is standing right there when it happened. Uh, and then you will do your thing and the league will do its thing and I’ll coach the next game hopefully.

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice speaks to the media after his team lost Game 1 to the host Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Monday, May 5, 2025.

The Leafs hold a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 in Toronto on Wednesday at 7 (ESPN).

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Monday, the Leafs led 2-0, 3-1, and 4-1 before the Panthers mounted a comeback in the third on goals from Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, and Sam Bennett. Seth Jones scored to make it 2-1 in the first.

Former Florida goalie Anthony Stolarz was knocked out of the game with an apparent concussion not long after colliding with Bennett in the crease. Stolarz had previous had his mask knocked off by a Sam Reinhart slapshot.

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Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / Panthers Vision

29 comments

  1. Really bad start and Bob was not dialed in…. Don’t understand how they weren’t prepared for this? Gotta take game 2.

    Too many odd man rushes and soft calls. Get it together boys.

  4. Maurice is happy to win by having his players take people out with dirty hits and then plays dumb about it… “refs had a better view… coaches coach”… not like he looked at the video from multiple angles after, and not like as a coach he has any influence on how his players play

  8. Not a defense of what Benett pulled, just a blanket I didn't really see it. Have lost so much respect for the Panthers and Maurice in the last few years. Classless always seems to pop into my mind when speaking of the Panthers.

  9. Maurice is right. Don't ask him about Bennett's hit on Stolarz. He's not the ref who was right there to see the whole thing go down and didn't even call a penalty. Ask the god damn league WTF are they doing about it.

  10. I like Maurice…I’m sure he’s ashamed of Bennett actions, that’s not how champions play the game…some other no name ran woll also…Bennett elbows his friend to gain an advantage imagine what he’s done to his own family

  11. @2:20 Good for Paul Maurice that he was not going to take the bait with that redundant question that had already been answered.

  16. Don't want panthers to win back to back they got rid of alot players in off season can't afford to keep them hope leafs lose they choke every yr like Winnipeg and Edmonton oilers could have beat the panthers last yr in Stanley cup series they blew game 7

  17. Mr. condescending, belittling the whole media for even brining up that dirty player. Mr "I'm the smartest in the room" nonsens, huffing and puffing in his own fart

  21. This was a good game ,,, Florida had a late start , but that will change ,,, can’t wait till Wednesday this is a beauty series to watch ,, regardless who wins every man has to look at themselves in the mirror , let’s go

  25. You guys are absolute sore losers. You can’t beat us with skill so you go after our goalie. And you fans will cheer about it just cuz f the leafs right?? Absolutely terrible. Reaves is coming dw

  26. Bennett's glove makes whatever contact there is, but the elbow barely touches Stolie. There has to have been something that happened earlier, maybe the sjot early in the game that knocked off his mask… but that Bennett contact ain't giving anyone a concussion.

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