Panthers lead Maple Leafs after second period in Game 7 of Eastern Conference second round
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The Florida Panthers have a 3-0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs after the second period in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference second round on Sunday.
Defenceman Seth Jones opened the scoring just over three minutes into the second period as he shot a quick wrister from the circle that beat goaltender Joseph Woll on the blocker side for the 1-0 lead.
Forward Anton Lundell doubled the Panthers' lead not long after as he picked up a juicy rebound in front of the net and deposited the puck past Woll to make it 2-0.
Jonah Gadjovich made it 3-0 just over two minutes later as he beat Woll off a pass from AJ Greer. Jones got the play started by dropping a pass to Greer, who shot it on goal and it was stopped by Woll. Greer picked up his own rebound and dished the puck over to Gadjovich who made no mistake.
Jones thought he had his second goal of the game with five minutes remaining in the period but it was immediately waved off as Jones collided with Woll before the puck went in.
No penalties were called in the second period as Florida leads the way in shots 25-12.
Referee Chris Rooney had to leave the game 13 seconds into the second period after taking a high stick to the face on a follow through from Panthers defenceman Niko Mikkola. Rooney went down for several minutes and needed help from the trainers to leave the ice with a towel covering his face.
The Panthers opened the game hemming the Maple Leafs in their own zone early, throwing seven shots on Woll as Toronto did not register its first shot of the game until the 12:37 minute mark.
Florida got the first power play of the game with two minutes to go in the first period as Toronto was caught with too many men on the ice but the Maple Leafs successfully killed off the power play.
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz returned to the lineup for Game 7 as Woll’s backup.
Stolarz was knocked out of the second-round series in Game 1 after getting a forearm to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett, who was not penalized or suspended for the hit.
Forward Matthew Knies was also announced good to play prior to the game. Knies took a reverse hit from Mikkola on Friday and was visibly in discomfort throughout Game 6 and played sparingly in the 2-0 win.
Evan Rodrigues also returned to the lineup for Florida after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers look to reach the Eastern Conference finals for a third straight year while the Maple Leafs look advance to the conference finals for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
The winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes, who dispatched the Washington Capitals in five games in the second round.