For the second time in three years, the Panthers advanced to the Conference Finals by eliminating the Maple Leafs in the second round. Unlike the five-game triumph two years ago, they did it in seven games to break Leafs’ hearts again.

Following a 6-1 win in Game 5, the Panthers were shut out 2-0 at home by a more determined Leafs last Friday night. In an elimination game, Auston Matthews scored the winner with 13:40 remaining in the third period. Max Pacioretty added some insurance with a nice redirection for his sixth point of the series. Joseph Woll stopped all 22 shots for his first career postseason shutout. That set the stage for a do-or-die Game 7 back in Toronto on Monday night.

Playing their biggest game in 23 years since they came back to defeat the Senators to advance past the second round, the Leafs were dominated by the battle tested defending champion Panthers, losing Game 7 by an identical 6-1 score at Scotiabank Arena. Frustration boiled over for over 19,000 fans who hoped to witness a much different result that would send their team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, furious spectators booed the Leafs off the ice, with several misguided fans throwing jerseys and beer. It was an embarrassing way for the season to end.

Cats Came Out Ready

Whether it was pregame jitters or just some apprehension due to the enormous pressure of the moment, the Leafs didn’t start the game off right. Instead, it was the more aggressive Cats who came out ready to do battle.

Skating with more purpose and showing urgency, the defending champs dominated the first half of the opening period. Continuing to get pucks in and aggressively forecheck, they put the Leafs on their heels. In fact, the Panthers not only registered the game’s first seven shots. But they out-attempted the Leafs by a wide 25-1 margin.

The Leafs held on due to their willingness to block shots and rely on Woll for big saves to keep the game scoreless. Eventually, they settled down and started to turn the tide.

Bobrovsky Denies Leafs’ Bids

Towards the halfway mark of the first period, the Leafs began to create more offense that led to some dangerous scoring chances. That included Matthew Knies and William Nylander each missing wide along with Simon Benoit. All three were excellent opportunities to give the Leafs the lead.

Having not been tested for over the first 11 minutes, Sergei Bobrovsky delivered when the Panthers needed it most. He denied some strong Leafs’ bids. That included a Nylander point blank chance, with the Florida netminder able to squeeze his pads together on the Leafs’ first shot. He was just getting warmed up.

Scott Laughton was unable to beat him on a mini break, flubbing a backhand with the Panthers caught up ice. After making a pair of stops on Bobby McMann, Bobrovsky’s biggest save of the game came when he thwarted Steven Lorentz on a breakaway.

After being outshot 7-0, the Leafs had the next seven shots. But they couldn’t beat a sharp Bobrovsky, who finished the game with 19 saves to send the Panthers to a third straight Eastern Conference Finals where they’ll meet the Hurricanes for the second time in three years.

Ref Chris Rooney Leaves Game with Injury

After the Leafs killed off a bench minor to conclude the first period, the second started in startling fashion. On an accidental play behind the net, Niko Mikkola had his stick make contact with ref Chris Rooney, injuring him just 13 seconds into the period. Rooney suffered a cut near the eye on the play and had to be helped off the ice. He received stitches for the cut. Emergency ref Garrett Rank replaced him for the remainder of the game.

Fortunately, the news was encouraging on Rooney. He didn’t suffer any eye damage. He had a black eye and hopes to return to work the next round.

It was a scary moment during the game. Even officials are at risk when they’re on the ice. Thankfully, Rooney will be okay.

Jones Breaks the Ice

Only a few minutes into the second period, Seth Jones broke the ice by scoring the first goal of the game. On a good defensive play started by captain Aleksander Barkov, he moved the puck out of his zone for Evan Rodrigues who made a nice backhand pass to lead Jones in on an odd man rush. Jones made a good wrist shot from the right circle high past Woll to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

On the play, two Leafs forwards were beaten up the ice. That included Matthews and Matthew Knies, who got caught deep. A trailing Mitch Marner was back to help pick up Sam Reinhart, giving Jones the shot. Arguably the Panthers’ best player in the series, Jones scored his second on a perfect laser past Woll. The 30-year-old veteran defenseman made it difficult on the Matthews line during the big matchup. Jones had two goals and two assists while pacing the Panthers in ice time (25:48).

He wasn’t done getting involved offensively. Jones later picked up a key secondary assist on the Panthers’ third goal of the second period. It was his on-ice awareness that allowed Jonah Gadjovich’s goal to hold up. On a play in the neutral zone with Florida ahead 2-0, Jones patiently waited for Gadjovich to tag up to get back onside before touching the puck that led to the Panthers increasing their lead to three. The Leafs wisely didn’t challenge for offsides.

The Rat Haunts Toronto Again

When they acquired Brad Marchand from the Bruins for a 2027 conditional second round pick, it was for big moments like last night. Throughout his career, the scrappy 37-year-old veteran has been a thorn in the side of the Leafs. He previously had defeated them four times with the Bruins, including last year in the first round. All four of those series went to Game 7.

Once again, Marchand was front and center in an elimination game against his hometown team. Like a broken record, the Rat haunted Toronto again. Over four minutes following Jones’ goal that opened the scoring, Marchand outskated the Leafs during a dominant shift that led directly to Anton Lundell making it 2-0.

Marchand skated into open ice and fired a wrist shot that Eetu Luostarinen got a piece of to make it a difficult save for Woll. He gave up a rebound which Lundell buried to give the Panthers a two-goal lead. It was Marchand who created the goal out of sheer hustle and smarts.

In the third period, with Max Domi temporarily giving Leafs fans hope by beating Bobrovsky on a breakaway to cut the deficit to 3-1, Marchand quickly silenced the crowd by having his shot tipped in by Luostarinen to restore a three-goal lead. The Leafs killer would later put the exclamation point on the victory with an empty netter – giving him 37 points versus the Leafs in the playoffs. That ranks second all-time versus the Leafs, trailing only hockey legend Gordie Howe (53).

Marchand led all skaters in scoring with eight points, including a goal and two assists in Game 7. He became the first player in NHL history to win five Game 7’s against the same franchise.

After the game, he spoke about if he enjoys beating the Leafs more than any other team due to an interaction that he had with a frustrated Toronto fan as he left the ice.

“I think the thing about Toronto is the fans are very … They’re in your face. So, they’re aggressive. They let you hear it all the time. It’s just fun to interact. Everybody that I think knows me is that I interact with a lot of fans and I enjoy that part of it. … There’s moments that you need to enjoy. Years fly by. I’ve been in it a long time and I’ve been very fortunate. It’s almost over and I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by.

“I wish I was able to enjoy more and more moments. And actually, look back and take moments that I took for granted, I wish I could have over. But you don’t get that opportunity and that’s one of them. I grew up a Leafs fan. I enjoy playing against the Leafs and I enjoy interacting with fans. It’s fun. It’s not something I’ll forever get to do. And I don’t take myself too seriously. I love getting made fun of. I love making fun of people. And if you can’t take it, then so be it. But I can’t. So, I’m going to enjoy the moments that I have and that’s one of them.

“When I come in here and I get booed and I get that award in the game, I’m going to show it and I’m going to enjoy that. Yeah. It’s just about not taking yourself too seriously in the game. Like yes. We all want to win and chase the Cup. But you don’t always get to do that. So, you got to enjoy the process and the steps and the days that you have throughout that journey.”

Reinhart Erases Any Doubt

With the Panthers leading 4-1 in the third period, Sam Reinhart erased any doubt by tacking on by beating Woll off a Barkov faceoff win. It happened so fast that the NHL On TNT missed the goal that made it 5-1 with 10:36 remaining.

They were preoccupied showing a replay when Reinhart took the Barkov pass off the offensive draw and fired a wrist shot past Woll to put it out of reach. The audio was scratchy, making lead analyst Ed Olczyk sound like he was under water. It was a rare miss for the normally reliable network. Good thing it wasn’t a close game.

Marner’s Final Game as a Leaf?

As time wound down, there was some discussion about whether it was Marner’s final game as a Leaf. If it was, he went out very quietly by finishing without a point, two shots, and a minus-2 rating in 18:43.

A star right wing who set personal highs in assists (75) and points (102) in the regular season, the 28-year-old Marner finished with a goal and four assists for five points versus the Panthers in the second round. However, he only had one point over the last four games. It was a primary assist on Matthews’ winner in Game 6.

An unrestricted free agent this summer, Marner is set to make a lot of money. Considering how much he’ll command along with a disappointing conclusion to another postseason as part of the Leafs core, it probably was his final game as a Leaf.

Following another postseason disappointment in which they failed to advance past the second round, there will be changes coming in the off-season. John Tavares is also an unrestricted free agent. He is a better bet to return for less money if he decides to stay home. Knies is a key restricted free agent who is due a significant raise. By letting Marner walk, they’ll have enough room to give Knies the contract he deserves.

Panthers Face Hurricanes in Conference Finals

For the second time in three years, the Panthers will face the Hurricanes in the Conference Finals. When they met two years ago in the same round, the Panthers swept the Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Golden Knights.

Similar to that series, the Canes will have home ice. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals begins tomorrow night at 8 PM in Raleigh. After defeating the Devils in five games, the Canes eliminated the Capitals in five to set up a rematch of two years ago. They’ll look for a better result against the defending champs.