Maple Leafs Revive in Series with Victory Over Panthers
In a crucial Eastern Conference semifinal matchup, the Toronto Maple Leafs managed to keep their hopes alive by defeating the Florida Panthers with a score of 2-0 in Game 6. Auston Matthews scored the first goal of the game, breaking the tie in the third period, while Joseph Woll shone in goal with 21 saves.
Game 7 will be played in Toronto on Sunday night, where the winner will face Carolina in the Eastern final.
Max Pacioretty secured the victory for the Maple Leafs, who have proven to be resilient in elimination situations, with a record of 4-2 since the start of the 2023 playoffs.
On the other hand, Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers’ goaltender, made 15 saves. The current Stanley Cup champions, surprisingly, have an 8-7 record in decisive games in the last three postseasons.
Florida coach Paul Maurice boasts a perfect 5-0 record in Game 7s, including the final game of last season’s Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers have a 3-1 record in deciding games, with a 2-0 record on the road. The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, have lost their last six Game 7s.
This was the second playoff game of this season to reach the third period with a score of 0-0. The other encounter occurred on Wednesday, where Edmonton eliminated Vegas with a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal.
Toronto had scored a total of 12 goals in the first seven periods of the series, but then experienced an offensive drought until Matthews broke the streak.
Toronto captain Auston Matthews finally managed to break his slump against Florida, scoring his first goal of the series. Matthews, who had a record of 0 for 31 on shots against Florida this season, found the net with a low shot that beat Bobrovsky, giving the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead with 13:40 remaining on the clock.
