Maple Leafs Defeat Panthers 5-4 in Game 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs edged out the Florida Panthers 5-4 in Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series, with William Nylander leading the charge by scoring two early goals and adding an assist. Toronto built a commanding early lead but had to withstand a late push from Florida, who narrowed the gap with goals from Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, and Sam Bennett. Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz exited in the second period after taking an elbow to the head from Bennett, prompting Joseph Woll to step in and secure the victory with 17 saves. Additional offensive contributions came from Matthew Knies, Chris Tanev, and Morgan Rielly, while Seth Jones scored on the power play for Florida. The Leafs struggled on the power play, going 0-for-5, but managed to hold off the defending champions, who had eliminated Toronto at the same stage last year. Game 2 is set for Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena before the series shifts to Florida.