SUNRISE — Left for dead after getting crushed in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, the Toronto Maple Leafs rose from the ice to stun the Florida Panthers, 2-0, on May 16.
The series now tied at 3 heads to Game 7 in Toronto on May 18 with the winner heading to the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina.
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Toronto scored twice in the third period to silence the crowd at Amerant Bank Arena, which expected Florida to win its fourth straight and capture the series.
“We came in tonight with good energy,” said Toronto center Auston Matthews, who scored the first goal of the night. “I’ve been getting opportunities all series.”
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May 16, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Toronto goalie Joseph Woll came up with a 22-save shutout, but the team in front of him stymied the Panthers from all angles.
”They played really well,” captain Aleksander Barkov said. “They defended well, so we couldn’t score. We didn’t have good enough chances to do it, so it’s obviously disappointing right now, but we have a good chance in two days in Toronto.”
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After a two-period stalemate, Matthews finally broke the seal 6:30 into the third period. He picked off a flubbed breakout pass from Gustav Forsling and fired a wrist shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Maple Leafs the lead with his first goal of the series.
Toronto held on defensively after getting a long-awaited goal from its former 69-goal scorer and an insurance goal from Max Pacioretty with 5:43 to go.
“Back to the drawing board,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “At the end of the day, we were down two-zip in this series, so you would have loved this Game 7 and this opportunity. We’re not going to sit here and pout about it, it’s an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again, and we enjoy these games, we enjoy these moments and hopefully we’ll be ready to go.”
The Panthers had two opportunities to take the lead on the power play in the first 10 minutes. They only managed to generate one shot on those two attempts, fumbling the puck on sloppy passes and being boxed out to the perimeter by Toronto’s penalty killers.
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Florida was able to break through Toronto’s staunch defense in the second period — leading 12-6 in shots — but the middle frame was more of the same. Toronto blocked 10 more shots, holding off a ferocious Panthers forecheck.
Here are three takeaways from Florida’s Game 6 loss:
Panthers power play sloppy in biggest moments of the game
May 16, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (60) makes a save against the Florida Panthers during the second period in game six of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Florida had multiple chances to jump ahead on the power play but just could not break through. It was sloppy in its two first-period opportunities, making one too many passes, flubbing the good looks they had and firing its shots off target.
That theme very much carried over when it had a chance to tie the game. The Panthers were completely stymied in that moment. They could not generate much forward motion towards the net, instead sending routine passes all the way back to their own zone and passing up any look at the net. It proved to be the killer for them as Toronto extended its lead minutes later.
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”We were late getting it off our stick or maybe looking for something slightly better,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “They did a good job with [their penalty kill,] for sure. Our entries are usually a little cleaner than were tonight because we got hung up at the line quite a bit. But they were good. We got to be better.”
Maple Leafs hold off Panthers forecheck, block barrage of shots
Whenever the Panthers had sustained zone time, they were met with a slot clogged full of defenders with no way around them.
Toronto burrowed in and blocked 31 shots — Florida only had 10 the whole game — and held on as the Panthers failed to find a way to score. The Maple Leafs defended hard and took advantage of mistakes and that was how they got the job done on the road in Sunrise.
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“I think we got to start looking for more sticks,” Tkachuk said. “We have some great scorers and great shooters here, but they have some great defense and obviously a great goalie right now. So, not many times in this part of the season are you going to beat some guys clean from the outside. You got to get traffic in front, but we have to start looking for more sticks, looking for more redirects and plays around the net but we got to be there for that to happen.”
Panthers know what to expect heading into Game 7
The Panthers have been in this spot twice before in critical series over the past two years.
In 2023, Florida held on to tie Game 7 in the first round against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the final minute and win it in overtime. Last year, the Panthers grinded out a 2-1 Game 7 victory to win the Stanley Cup Final over the Edmonton Oilers.
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They understand the pressure that comes with a Game 7 and what’s at stake – and they are ready to play for it in Toronto.
”Oh, they’re free,” Maurice said of Game 7s. “They are all the energy you’ve got with no concern about tomorrow. You’ve talked about your game enough all year that everybody understands this game that you’re going to try to play. You don’t need a lot of extra coffee, you’ll be ready to go.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Panthers-Toronto Maple Leafs head to Game 7 in Stanley Cup playoffs