The Toronto Maple Leafs won Game 1 of their best-of-7 second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Monday night.
But they also lost No. 1 goalie Anthony Stolarz, for the game and possibly longer.
Stolarz, who earned a Stanley Cup ring with the Panthers last spring as their backup goalie, was elbowed in the head when former teammate Sam Bennett crashed through the crease at 7:20 of the second period. Stolarz was down for a bit, but remained in the game for a couple more minutes.
During a media timeout, Stolarz threw up on the Maple Leafs bench. He was removed from the game, replaced by Joseph Woll, and evaluated for a head injury.
It should be noted that Stolarz also was hit in the face mask by a shot earlier in the game. But Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube left zero doubt with how he believed the goalie was injured.
“Elbow to the head,” Berube said postgame. “Clearly. Clear as day.”
Not to be lost in the Stolarz subplot was the riveting main story. The Maple Leafs stunned the Panthers when William Nylander scored 33 seconds into the game and then again at 12:51 of the first period to give the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead against the defending champs.
That lead grew to 3-1 by the first intermission and 4-1 after two periods on goals by defensemen Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev.
But, true to their championship DNA, the Panthers didn’t quit. Eetu Luostarinen went to the net to redirect the puck past Woll 1:39 into the third period and Uvis Balinskis wired a left-wing shot in at 4:30 to make it 4-3, quieting the party atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena.
A bad line change by the Panthers proved costly, when Matthew Knies scored on a partial breakaway at the 14-minute mark. And that proved to be the game-winner because Bennett answered back with a 6-on-5 goal at 18:05.
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3 takeaways from Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-4 win in Game 1 against Florida Panthers
1. Anthony Stolarz injury fallout
First and foremost, Stolarz’ short- and long-term health is most important here. One blow to the head is scary enough. Two is frightening. And getting sick on the bench, followed by a trip to the hospital is all worrisome.
“We’re hopeful for Anthony and his health. We love that guy,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
As for the rest of the fallout, Woll finished the game, and looked shaky in the third period when the Panthers turned up the heat. Woll did close strong, with a massive left-pad save in the dying seconds. He’ll need to be better if he starts Game 2 after allowing three goals on 20 shots Monday. But the Maple Leafs trust him; Woll helped form a solid 1-2 punch in goal with Stolarz this season and does have a 2.12 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in eight career postseason games.
Then there’s a possible suspension for Bennett. No word yet if the Department of Player Safety will have a hearing with Bennett, but the Panthers must be holding their breath. Bennett is an indispensable playoff performer for the Panthers, and he’d be sorely missed if suspended, especially with Florida already down 1-0 in the series.
2. Willie’s world
The Maple Leafs flying start was fueled by William Nylander, who had three points on the score sheet before this game was even 18 minutes old. His bad angle shot from right wing slipped through a John Tavares screen and beat Sergei Bobrovsky short side just 33 ticks into the game. It sent an early message that these Maple Leafs are not going to be an easy out against the champs.
Nylander was all alone in front to grab a bouncing rebound and flutter a shot past Bobrovsky 12 minutes later to double Toronto’s advantage. The Maple Leafs never trailed in this one, thanks to their star forward, who set up Rielly to score off the rush at 17:16. That was a massive answer by Toronto, since Florida had just scored 19 seconds before on a Seth Jones power-play goal.
It was Nylander’s second straight game with two goals and three points, after his standout performance in Game 6 that helped eliminate the Ottawa Senators. He’s now tied with Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars and Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets for the playoff scoring lead with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in seven games.
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3. Panthers play with fire
The Panthers were the most penalized team in the NHL this season, and Monday they were short-handed five times. That they killed off each Maple Leafs power play is impressive. But the Panthers don’t want to tempt fate that often throughout this series. Toronto’s five-forward PP1 unit is among the most dangerous in the NHL.
Of course, the Panthers had the second best penalty kill in the NHL this season. So, there’s a certain arrogance in that the Panthers believe they can cross the line with their physical play in order to send a larger message, because their outstanding PK will clean up the potential damage.
Listen, it’s worked for several years now, especially in the postseason. It doesn’t appear Maurice is going to pull the reins back on his team’s overly-physical play now. Sure, more discipline would be nice, and is needed against that potentially lethal Toronto power play. But you can bet the Panthers feel good about their PK, not to mention their 51-24 hits advantage in Game 1. It’s all about the bigger picture, winning the war, for the Panthers.
