TORONTO — In a night to remember, Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers dismantled the Toronto Maple Leafs, cruising to a commanding 6-1 victory in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday. This decisive win gives the Panthers a crucial 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Bobrovsky was formidable between the pipes, registering 31 saves. Florida's defense, meanwhile, made their mark on offense, with Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, and Niko Mikkola all finding the back of the net during a blistering second period that saw the Panthers score three times in less than eight minutes.
Returning from a stint as a healthy scratch, Jesper Boqvist delivered in a big way, notching his first career playoff goal and an assist. The Panthers’ offensive onslaught didn’t stop there. A.J. Greer celebrated his first playoff goal, and Sam Bennett added another tally, his sixth of the postseason.
Bobrovsky's bid for a consecutive shutout ended late in the third when Toronto’s Nicholas Robertson finally solved him, ending a scoreless drought of 143 minutes and 25 seconds for the Leafs. Despite their struggles, Toronto managed to tally one in the game's final moments, bringing a small comfort to an otherwise tough night.
For Toronto, goaltender Joseph Woll stopped 20 of 25 shots before being replaced by Matt Murray following Greer’s goal. Murray managed six saves on seven shots thereafter.
Ekblad set the tone early with a wrist shot in the opening period, marking the beginning of the end for the Leafs in Game 5. Kulikov doubled the lead in the second, with a slap shot that deflected off Toronto’s Scott Laughton.
Boqvist, filling in for the injured Evan Rodrigues, capitalized on his opportunity, scoring later in the second period. Continuing the rush, Mikkola’s strike made it 4-0, sending a powerful signal to Toronto.
Game 6 looms on the horizon, set for Friday night in Sunrise, Florida, where the Panthers will have a chance to close out the series and punch their ticket to the conference final.
