Toronto, Canada. – The beat goes on for the Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers secured their third consecutive berth in the Eastern Conference Final with a decisive 6-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena.
As defending Stanley Cup champions, they are the sixth reigning champion to advance to the Conference Finals since 2010.
“We know there’s a tremendous amount of work left,” forward Sam Reinhart said.
At the start of the first period, the Panthers maintained strong puck possession.
By the time the ice crew arrived, the Panthers had generated 21 shot attempts within the first 6:33, although they were unable to convert these opportunities into goals to establish an early lead.
Following this initial pressure, the Maple Leafs increased their offensive efforts.
Just past the midpoint of the period, Sergei Bobrovsky was called into action with a critical save to deny William Nylander from close range.
Subsequently, Bobrovsky also made key stops on breakaways by Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz.
The Florida Panthers are now within two victories of winning the Stanley Cup
Although Toronto trailed 31-17 in shot attempts, they held a slight advantage with 10-9 in scoring chances during the period.
The Panthers executed a very disciplined and effective second period, leading in shots 17-5 and in scoring chances 16-4.
Early in the third period, the Maple Leafs responded with a goal when Max Domi delivered a powerful shot through Bobrovsky’s five-hole at 2:07, narrowing the score to 3-1.
Brad Marchand registered two assists in Game 7, bringing his career total to six and tying him with Evgeni Malkin of Pittsburgh for the most among active NHL players.
Eetu Luostarinen accumulated six points (two goals, four assists) across two series-clinching games this postseason.
The Panthers did not incur any penalties during the game.
Aleksander Barkov led the team with 11 faceoff wins.
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