SUNRISE, Fla. – The last one is always the hardest.
Trying to punch their third straight ticket to the Eastern Conference Final, the Florida Panthers will host the Toronto Maple Leafs for Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.
After falling behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Second Round, the Panthers stormed back to win three straight games and send the Maple Leafs to the sudden brink of elimination.
In the series, the Panthers have gone 2-0 in Sunrise.
“I like our energy here,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said of the team’s home-ice advantage. “I like how we’ve come out in the last couple games at home. I find that our group finds a different level here. I’m excited to have a late-night match for all the marbles.”
Getting better as the series has rolled along, the Panthers were at their best in Game 5, racing out to an early lead and cruising to a 6-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Finding heroes up and down the lineup, Florida had six different goal scorers in the win: Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist, Niko Mikkola, A.J. Greer and Sam Bennett.
Sharing the wealth on offense, the Panthers are the first team since the Los Angeles Kings in 1993 to have at least 17 different goal scorers through their first 10 postseason games.
“I think I can speak for everyone in just saying that we want to win the games, and it doesn’t matter how we do it,” said forward Jonah Gadjovich, who scored his first-career playoff goal in Game 3. “Everyone is contributing. We’re all playing for each other and just enjoying it.”
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky has been nearly unbeatable the last two games.
After stopping all 23 shots he faced in a 2-0 win in Game 4, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner surrendered just one goal in the 6-1 win in Game 5 while stopping 31 of 32 shots.
Over those two games, he saved 5.66 goals above expected, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Also heating up, Aaron Ekblad has been a force at both ends of the ice.
Extending his point streak to five games with the opening goal in Game 5, the veteran defenseman has posted four points (one goal, three assists), 10 hits and two blocks in the last three games.
“He’s been awesome for us ever since he came back,” Gustav Forsling said of his defensive partner. “He’s playing physical. He’s scoring goals. He’s been doing everything for us.”
For the Maple Leafs, it’s do-or-die mode.
After watching their 2-0 series lead evaporate in the span of a week, the Maple Leafs endured both boos and jerseys being thrown on the ice during their blowout loss in Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena.
In addition to coming up empty on six trips to the power play in Games 4 and 5, Toronto struggled mightily at 5-on-5 in those two games, with the Panthers leading 6-1 in goals and controlling 59.28% of shot attempts, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
William Nylander has been the biggest offensive threat for the Maple Leafs in the series, leading the team in both goals (3) and points (6). That being said, the speedy Swede has been stifled the last two games, including being denied by Bobrovsky on two breakaways.
Yet to score in 10 career playoff games against the Panthers, Auston Matthews, who scored 33 goals during the regular season, has only dished out three assists so far in the series.
Based on this morning’s skate at Baptist Health IcePlex, the Maple Leafs could possibly be making two changes to their forward group for Game 6, inserting Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok back into the lineup in place of David Kampf and Nicholas Robertson.
Between the pipes, Joseph Woll, who was pulled from Game 5 after Florida’s fifth goal, is expected to get the start.
Despite having two chances to punch their ticket to the next round, the Panthers will continue to treat every game like it’s a must-win.
“It’s going to take all we’ve got from everyone,” Gadjovich said. “They’re going to be fighting for their lives tonight, but I think we’re cut out for it. We’re ready for what’s to come.”
THEY SAID IT
“It’s a best-of-seven. We’re not expecting anything easy. We’re not expecting to win in four or five. You have to prepared to go all the way, and I think this group is. That’s just how we prepare.” -- Jonah Gadjovich on Florida’s mentality for each playoff series
“Any time you’re fighting a team that has its back against the wall, you never know what you’re going to get. I find this is the time of year when you really find out what you’re made of.” -- Nate Schmidt on trying to close out the Maple Leafs in Game 6
“Wasn't that one-sided when you look at it. Obviously, we get a couple of bounces and that can dictate the outcome … the bounces are huge. They play a huge component of the playoffs, and we got more than they did last game.” – Brad Marchand on Game 5
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers rank first in the playoffs with 10 goals from defensemen.
- Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with six goals in the playoffs.
- Florida’s 88.9% penalty kill percentage ranks third among playoff teams.
- Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen are each +8 in the playoffs.
- Gustav Forsling has blocked a team-high 17 shots in the playoffs.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Jesper Boqvist – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- April 25: F Jesse Puljujarvi assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV: TNT, truTV, Max
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
