Florida Panthers kick-start series with a win vs Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs were aggressive from the get-go in Game 1, as were the Florida Panthers, who beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Scotiabank Arena by a score of 4-2.

This game had all the ingredients of a good game played by both teams, as the hits were high, and the action was fast-paced at both ends of the ice.

Not to mention, the forecheck from both teams was impressive, as it kept the contest fairly close. But, the Florida Panthers scored a pair of goals in the second period that made all the difference to win Game 1.

Coming off the heels of a Game 7 overtime win against the Boston Bruins, the Panthers stayed hot.

The Florida Panthers’ goaltending was fantastic from the get-go as Sergei Bobrovsky turned away 34 of 36 shots in net versus the Toronto Maple Leafs who were all over him during the 60 minutes of on-ice action.

At the other end of the ice, the breakaway goal by Carter Verhaeghe was the X-factor of the game.

To be more precise, however, the X-factor of the series will be determined by the penalties assessed throughout the series, and I will say this series is far from over.

Most importantly, this has a chance to be a high-scoring series, but close contests are what the Toronto Maple Leafs should play even if the players feel good about their gameplay and start to score a lot of goals.

After observing the first game of the second-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, it is evident both teams want to set the tone early in the contests, by being aggressive with their respective forechecks and playing excellent defense at both ends of the ice.

This is a series where the underdog can sometimes be a dominant force, but with both teams doing the unthinkable in round one, this will be an unpredictable series with a trip to the Eastern Conference Final on the line.