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The Toronto Maple Leafs held on to win Game 1 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Monday night.
The Maple Leafs led 4-1 at the start of the third period but struggled late on after starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz left the game and was replaced by backup Joseph Woll. Stolarz was removed after being knocked to the ice by a forearm to the head by Sam Bennett.
Game 2 takes place in Toronto on Wednesday.
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Leafs hang on to win Game 1, but lose Anthony Stolarz: Takeaways
Matthew Knies says he didn't see the Bennett hit on Stolarz but: "Hopefully the league will handle it and protect our players."
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Panthers head coach Paul Maurice: "The ref was standing right there when it happened."
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube: "Elbow to the head. Clear as day." Says he doesn't know how the officials missed calling it.
Sam Bennett, whose forearm knocked Anthony Stolarz to the ground before the goaltender was removed from the game, was not made available to the media post game. We asked for him post game but Panthers PR said he wasn’t talking tonight.
Anthony Stolarz was taken out of Scotiabank Arena on a stretcher during the third period of tonight's game, per sources.
Sergei Bobrovsky: 5 goals allowed, 24 saves
Anthony Stolarz: 1 goal allowed, 8 saves
Joseph Woll: 3 goals allowed, 17 saves
Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 5
51 hits by the Panthers is no joke!
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With his performance tonight, Joseph Woll has become just the second Maple Leafs goaltender to earn a playoff win in a relief appearance.
He joins Terry Sawchuk, who did so in Game 5 of the 1967 semifinals against Chicago.
1967 just so happens to be the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup …
Dom M.: League needs to review the Bennett forearm hit on Stolarz and he should be suspended. This guy has a history of playing on the edge, and gets away with crap often. League needs to send him a message.
Wesley D.: You're either blind or a Florida fan (or both) if you don't think the Bennett forearm wasn't intentional. If Stolarz is out, Bennett has to get games. The guy is a perennial dirty player, took Knies out last series too.
Alyssa T.: Thank god our back up goalie is just as good as most teams normal goalie but I’m furious about that hit on Stolie. Ridiculous.
No word yet on the status of Anthony Stolarz after he left tonight's game, but Morgan Rielly isn't concerned: “We have all the faith in the world in (Joseph Woll).”
Eric A.: That’s big momentum for a team that usually collapses under pressure, especially after Matthews failed (shocker) to seal it off with the empty netter. Leafs entering Game 2 with all of the momentum now.
The P.: This is going to be a close series. Didn’t think so before this, but the Leafs did play a great game except for most of the third. The Panthers were terrible for 45 minutes. Let’s see what happens Wednesday.
Fred Z.: Dial it back a bit my Leaf mates! It’s a long 7-game series… humility goes a long way.
Spencer B.: Great win. I am not sure my heart could take it if this goes 7, good lord.
Joshua B.: Wait, is Toronto for real this time?
David H.: Panthers would be in big trouble if Matthews could finish. He just isn't the same this year.
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Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-seven playoff series, such as the Maple Leafs just did, own an all-time series record of 531-249, which comes to 68.1 percent.
In the first round of the 2025 playoffs, six of the eight teams that won Game 1 went on to win their series.
I think we saw a bit of everything here tonight. Shaping up to be a wild series between the Panthers and Leafs!
The Leafs have hung on for the win!
What a rollercoaster of a third period, which began 4-1.
P3 0:47 – Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 4
Matthews intercepts the puck at the wall near the middle of the ice. He shoots on the open net but misses!
P3 1:27 – Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 4
Bobrovsky came back in following Bennett's goal, but he rushes off once again to give the Panthers an extra attacker.
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P3 1:55 – Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 4
With the goalie pulled, Bennett scores near-side over Woll's shoulder to cut the Panthers' deficit to one!
Here we go, buckle up!
P3 2:35 – Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 3
Bobrovsky darts for the bench and the Panthers are all-in now.
Seconds later, Knies has an opportunity to shoot on the open net, but with two Florida skaters in front of him, he makes the wise choice to dump the puck into the corner instead.
P3 3:20 – Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 3
The Panthers are turning up the pressure on Woll firing shots whenever they get the chance, but the backup goaltender is standing tall for the moment.
The Leafs, meanwhile, are clearing the puck whenever possible, as you might imagine.
