SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers are feeling it a little bit right now, and it appears as if the Toronto Maple Leafs are turning their season around.
On Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs scored twice in the first and only allowed a shorthanded goal from Sam Reinhart in a 4-1 win over the Panthers in a rematch of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Florida, playing shorthanded again, has lost four of five and four straight at home.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, pulled themselves out the Eastern Conference cellar by wining their third in four games.
By winning Tuesday, the Panthers (12-12-1) now reside in last place in the division.
Florida’s last win came in Nashville against the Predators — a team that visits Sunrise on Thursday night.
NOTEBOOK: LEAFS AT PANTHERS
Florida played without Carter Verhaeghe due to the birth of his first child.
Reinhart played in his 800th NHL game on Tuesday.
The Panthers celebrated their 50th consecutive sellout during the regular season dating to Dec. 23, 2024.
GOALS OF THE GAME
Leafs 1, Panthers 0 (5:24 1st): Troy Stecher gets his first with the Leafs, sending a point shot through traffic that beats Sergei Bobrovsky.
Leafs 2, Panthers 0 (7:54 1st): Toronto gets the puck deep in their own zone with Stetcher getting it up the ice. Dakota Jackson tracks down the outlet pass that gets through Jeff Petry, feeds Bobby McMann off the rush — then scores on the return from the slot.
Leafs 2, Panthers 1 (14:43 2nd SH): Seth Jones forces a turnover in the defensive zone, gets it out to Anton Lundell who drives into Toronto’s side of the ice. After winning a puck battle in the corner, Lundell finds a wide-open Sam Reinhart who waits out Joseph Woll before flipping a shot over his glove.
Leafs 3, Panthers 1 (12:18 3rd): Steven Lorentz battled for the puck in the corner and sent a desperation heave toward the net. The puck hit the skates of Aaron Ekblad in front of the net and landed on the stick of Scott Laughton.
Leafs 4, Panthers 1 (19:41 3rd EN): John Tavares salts this one away.
FHN’S 3 STARS
1. Dakota Joshua, Leafs
2. Joseph Woll, Leafs
3. Troy Stecher, Leafs
ON DECK: GAME No. 26
NASHVILLE PREDATORS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
