TORONTO – May 6, 2025 – What. A. Start. William Nylander came out like a man on a mission Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, lighting up the scoreboard with two goals and an assist in the first period, as the Toronto Maple Leafs held off the Florida Panthers for a thrilling 5-4 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round.
If Leafs fans were looking for a tone-setter, Nylander delivered it in full. “We came out and got a couple of good scoring chances and were able to capitalize on them,” said Nylander post-game. “Now, we focus on the next one.”
🔥 First-Period Blitz: Nylander Leads the Charge
Nylander wasted no time, beating Sergei Bobrovsky just 33 seconds in with a slick low glove-side snipe to open the scoring. Less than 13 minutes later, he was back at it—burying a rebound to make it 2-0 Leafs, setting the building on fire and giving the Panthers an early hole to climb out of.
Toronto’s offense came out buzzing, with Matthew Knies, Chris Tanev, and Morgan Rielly also adding key goals. Max Pacioretty and Jake McCabe chipped in with two assists each, showing this Leafs lineup has depth and punch.
🚨 Stolarz Injured, Woll Answers the Call
There was a tense moment in the second period when starting goalie Anthony Stolarz took an arm to the head from Florida’s Sam Bennett behind the net and was later pulled during a TV timeout. He exited with eight saves on nine shots.
Enter Joseph Woll, who came in cold and made 17 saves, including a few game-savers late in the third.
“Joe stepped up. No panic. That’s exactly what we needed,” said Leafs head coach Craig Berube. “Tough situation, but he stayed sharp and gave us what we needed.”
📉 Panthers Push Back
Don’t let the scoreline fool you—this wasn’t a coast-to-coast cruise for Toronto.
Florida clawed their way back in the third with goals from Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, and Sam Bennett, trimming a 4-1 deficit down to 5-4 and forcing the Leafs to dig deep.
After Florida made it 4-3 early in the third, Berube called a timeout to reset. “We just needed to get back to our game,” said Tanev. “Forecheck, pressure, and get pucks deep.”
Cue Matthew Knies, who broke away late in the third and roofed a backhander over Bobrovsky’s glove to put the Leafs up 5-3. That goal proved to be the difference-maker.
📊 Game Notes & Milestones
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Nylander became just the 10th player in Leafs history to record consecutive multi-goal playoff games, joining legends like Wendel Clark.
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Morgan Rielly made history of his own, scoring his 14th career playoff goal—the most by a defenseman in franchise history.
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Florida was without key blueliner Aaron Ekblad, who served the second game of his two-game suspension from Round 1.
🗓 What’s Next?
Game 2 goes Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena (7:00 p.m. ET | CBC, SN, ESPN). With the Leafs drawing first blood and the Panthers surging late, expect fireworks in what’s shaping up to be a heavyweight battle in the Atlantic.
