Panthers display championship pedigree in Game 4 win against Maple Leafs

SUNRISE, Fla. -- This was what the Florida Panthers were supposed to be.

This was textbook Panthers hockey, the defense and the goaltending, the hard hits and tight gaps. It was what the Panthers did so well in the past two years during the Stanley Cup Playoffs en route to reaching the Stanley Cup Final two straight years, what they did so well in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning that series in five games.

This was what won them the Stanley Cup.

As Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky put it: “Tonight was the game where everything comes together. Guys worked hard, blocked shots, got good bounces our way.”

That play hadn’t exactly been there during the first three games of their second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers had allowed 13 goals in those three games, had allowed uncharacteristic rush chances, too much space to create.

It was back in Game 4. Florida controlled and frustrated the Maple Leafs, allowing few shots and fewer chances in a 2-0 win at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday that evened the best-of-7 series at 2-2. Game 5 will be in Toronto on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).

“We didn’t get scored on in the first 35 seconds,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice quipped. “That was a nice change for us.”

The Panthers had allowed goals 33 seconds into Game 1, to William Nylander, and 23 seconds into Game 3, to Matthew Knies. They would allow none in the first minute, or at any other point, in Game 4.

“This is what it is,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “They don’t give you a lot.”

Or, at least, they didn’t Sunday.

“That was more like the Panthers playoff hockey that we’re used to,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. “Tighter game, less opportunities. We didn’t give up many odd-mans at all. Did a pretty good job of limiting their chances. And 'Bobby' obviously stood on his head.

“So it was a pretty good game all around.”

There were moments, too, that sparkled amidst the punishing style of hockey that the Panthers forced on the Maple Leafs.

There was Gustav Forsling somehow catching up to Nylander in time to disrupt his shot on a breakaway at 16:46 of the second period. His efforts kept the Panthers’ lead at 1-0 during a moment that could have turned the game and potentially the series.

“He’s such a powerful skater,” Maurice said. “Big tank on him. He can handle big minutes and also a pretty impressive burst when he needs to. He earns that. He works so hard. Each year he becomes a more and more fit man.”

There was Bennett demonstrating preternatural skill as he waited out both goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Jake McCabe on a 2-on-2 at 12:09 of the third. McCabe and Chris Tanev converged on Carter Verhaeghe at the left post, allowing an opening for Bennett, rewarding him for his ability to wait out the play. It was a goal that served as crucial insurance after Verhaeghe had opened the scoring at 15:45 of the first period.

“He’s such a patient player,” Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt said of Bennett. “Has such an unbelievable poise about him to be able to suck him out and get him out of position. At some point the goalie doesn’t have many more options, right? To have that kind of patience -- I don’t know if I have that in my game -- so it’s fun to watch other guys do it.”

It was in those moments, and all the other moments, that the Panthers demonstrated who they are when they are at or near their best. They are a demanding team to play against, hard and physical and stingy defensively.

“I thought our gaps were good,” Maurice said. “I thought our forwards did some really fine work allowing that to happen. Such a dynamic team, Toronto, that if you don’t do enough work from the goal line to your red line, you put the defensemen in a very, very difficult position. So I thought our forwards allowed the 'D' to play as well as the 'D' did.”

When the Panthers traveled back home last Thursday, they had lost two consecutive games and were down in the series 2-0 to a Toronto team that was looking like it might just be a new brand of Maple Leafs.

Two games later, it’s looking like the same old Panthers instead.

As Schmidt said, “We came home and we did what we wanted to do with these two games.”

Given where they started this season, they’re now exactly where they hoped to be. Starting with Game 5 on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena, there will be three games left in the series. Three games for one team to take two.

“It’s big,” Bennett said of the turnaround from after Game 2. “We did a great job of showing our composure and we settled down at home. We played two much better games. It’s now a best-of-3. It can be a fun end of the series, for sure.”