Maple Leafs force Game 7 after gutsy road win against Panthers in Florida

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We interrupt this teardown of the Maple Leafs to bring you an important bulletin:

Against the odds, they’ve put it together to force a Game 7 Sunday at Scotiabank Arena against the Florida Panthers.

Friday’s 2-0 win at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise came with most of the hockey world counting them out after three straight losses in which they were outscored 9-1 since an overtime loss in Game 3. Yet winning to stave off elimination has become something of a specialty for the Leafs the past three springs, now with a record of 4-2.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner lifted grand pianos off their backs, combining for what became the winning goal at 6:20 of the third. Marner stole a puck off a Florida breakout at its line and fed Matthews for a five-hole goal on Sergei Bobrovsky. It was Matthews’ first of this series, first in two series against the Panthers, third in these 12 post-season games, while Marner was looking to atone for a major defensive gaffe in Game 5.

The Leafs survived two early minor penalties, another following the Matthews goal, but after he was foiled by Bobrovsky on an early stretch pad save, Matthew Knies was shaken up in a reverse hip check by defenceman Niko Mikkola. In pain on the bench, Knies was spelled off a few shifts on the first line left wing by Bobby McMann and Max Pacioretty that scrambled a couple of lines, though Knies stayed in the contest.

Max Domi, who also needed a bounce-back game, started the play on the second goal at 14:17, creating a 2-on-1 where McMann set up the warhorse Pacioretty for a backhand tip. With Bobrovsky pulled, Joseph Woll made the last of his 22 saves for the shutout while teammates blocked 31 shots.

Matthews went to the room early in the second period after Aleksander Barkov caught with a stick blade near the eye off a face-off. Matthews returned for the first of two Toronto power plays in the second period, the first when the Panthers were caught with too many men, only to catch Aaron Ekblad with his own high stick.

Lack of playoff production has been the curse of Matthews and Marner the past few years and 2025 was no exception. From seven points in the last five regular season games and six in the first series versus Ottawa, Matthews has managed just five since. Marner had a similarly hot finish to the regular season and three points in the opener against Ottawa, but held to six points the past eight contests.

As for Toronto’s well-documented self-destruct mode in previous Game 7s, winless in five tries since 2018, you won’t hear a discouraging word heading into Sunday considering they were facing tee times this weekend.

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Now it’s a winner-take-all Sunday, a date with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final where the Leafs haven’t been since 2002 — if they can use home ice in their favour. Game 5 at SBA was a train wreck, a lifeless 6-1 loss in which Toronto looked to be the intimidated team.

In the wake of that defeat, the Leafs absorbed the wrath of fans and media for 48 hours, starting with a few team sweaters tossed on the ice. The ‘Core Four’ deservedly took the brunt of it, Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares collectively outscored 9-1 by the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers atter an overtime loss in Game 3 could’ve given them a 3-0 series’ lead.

And yet just as the Leafs were reminded in their previous series against the Ottawa Senators, the fourth game is the most difficult to attain. The Panthers had the mojo, or so it seemed. Toronto is trying to come back from a 3-2 series’ deficit for the first time since ‘02 in the second round versus Ottawa.

Friday’s win staves off talk of what personnel changes the Leafs could expect this summer if they don’t reach the third round or beyond.

The Leafs went back to the lineup they used through most of the playoffs, reinstating bottom six forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Pontus Holmberg after they sat for David Kampf and Nick Robertson in Game 5.

Florida is trying to eliminate the Leafs for the second time in the second round the past three years after knocking them out in 2023 in five games. It would also be the third occurrence that one-time Leaf coach Paul Maurice has beaten his former team, going back to Toronto’s last appearance in the conference final in 2002 when Maurice was with Carolina.

lhornby@sunmedia.com