TORONTO 鈥� Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was a big reason why Florida dispatched the Toronto Maple Leafs in a tidy five-game playoff series two years ago.
His post-season return to Toronto was not as smooth.
William Nylander scored on the Maple Leafs' first shot and added another goal later in the period as Toronto beat Florida 5-4 in the second-round playoff series opener on Monday night.
"Obviously it wasn't a great start by us," said Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov. "We knew they were going to come hard and strong."
Bobrovsky, who didn't speak to reporters after the game, allowed four goals by the game's midway point. He finished with 24 saves.
"We didn't look like ourselves," Florida head coach Paul Maurice said of his team's opening stanza. "And then (we) righted it in the second and after that had a pretty good push in the third."
Nylander scored from a tight angle and was left alone in front for his second goal. Morgan Rielly made it a 3-1 game late in the first period when he beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot to the short side on a 2-on-1 break.
Chris Tanev made it 4-1 with a knuckler from the point that floated in through traffic. The Panthers cut Toronto's lead to 4-3 on goals by Eetu Luostarinen and Uvis Balinskis, but Matthew Knies restored the Leafs' cushion when he scored on a breakaway with six minutes left.
Seth Jones got Florida on the board late in the first period and Sam Bennett made it a one-goal game with 1:55 left in the third.
Florida killed all five minor penalties and scored on one of three power-play opportunities.
"We executed really well on the PK," Barkov said. "We go out there, we had a (power-play) goal and we did really well. (Bobrovsky) is there for us every single moment, so that helps too."
The 36-year-old Russian netminder made 50 saves in his last playoff game at Scotiabank Arena in '23, a 3-2 overtime win that eliminated the Maple Leafs. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner didn't allow more than two goals in any of the five games against Toronto that year.
The Panthers went on to sweep the Carolina Hurricanes to reach the Stanley Cup final for the second time in franchise history. Florida lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games but hoisted the trophy a year later with a seven-game win over the Edmonton Oilers.
The Panthers finished third in the Atlantic Division this past season, 10 points behind the first-place Maple Leafs.
Florida dispatched state rival Tampa Bay in five games while Toronto needed six games to knock off provincial rival Ottawa.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven second-round series is scheduled for Wednesday in Toronto. The series will shift to the Sunshine State on Friday for Game 3.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
