William Nylander powered the Toronto Maple Leafs to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena.
Nylander Shines in Game 1
- 2 goals in the 1st period
- 1 assist
- 4th and 5th goals of the playoffs
- Nearly completed a hat trick late in the 2nd
“He came out and was feeling it,” said Morgan Rielly. “That helps set the tone.”
Maple Leafs Goal Scorers
- William Nylander – 2 goals, 1 assist
- Morgan Rielly – 1 goal
- Chris Tanev – 1 goal, 1 assist
- Matthew Knies – 1 goal, 1 assist
Max Pacioretty and Jake McCabe
also contributed with 2 assists each.
Goaltending Update
- Anthony Stolarz made 8 saves before exiting in the 2nd period after taking an elbow to the head from Sam Bennett. No penalty was assessed.
- Joseph Woll entered in relief and stopped 17 of 20 shots to close the game.
Head coach Craig Berube on the hit:
“Elbow to the head — clear as day. It’s clearly a penalty.”
Florida Panthers Goal Scorers
- Seth Jones – 1 goal (PP)
- Eetu Luostarinen – 1 goal
- Uvis Balinskis – 1 goal
- Sam Bennett – 1 goal
Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe each tallied 2 assists.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves in the loss.
Game Summary Highlights
- Toronto opened the scoring just 33 seconds into the game via Nylander.
- Nylander struck again with a deke and finish to make it 2–0 late in the 1st.
- Rielly’s goal 19 seconds after Florida scored on the power play restored Toronto’s cushion.
- Tanev made it 4–1 early in the 2nd with a long-range knuckler.
- Florida closed the gap in the 3rd with goals from Luostarinen and Balinskis.
- Knies’ breakaway goal made it 5–3 before Bennett added a late tally with under two minutes left.
Toronto held firm in the final moments to take a 1-0 series lead.
Notable Absences and Connections
- Panthers were without Aaron Ekblad, serving the final game of a suspension.
- Toronto now features three former Panthers: Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz.
What’s Next?
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal is set for Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena before the series shifts to Florida.
