Panthers Pepper Woll to Take Series Lead

TORONTO — It seemed like Joseph Woll was going to repeat his valiant performance from Game 4. While the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 in Sunrise on Sunday, the Leafs goaltender made it tough on Florida’s skaters, stopping 35 shots, including six high-danger chances. Woll had kept it a 1-0 lead for Toronto until Sam Bennett notched an insurance goal with 7:50 left in the game.

Woll rolled into Game 5 with a little leftover momentum with the series tied 2-2. He stopped the first 12 shots he faced. He even got a little bit of puck luck. Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each clipped the crossbar with shots from the slot in the game’s opening minutes.

But the Panthers broke through late in the first period. After pestering Woll with shots near the crease, Sam Reinhart kicked it out to Aaron Ekblad at the top of the right faceoff circle for a slapshot that found the back of the net.

Still, it felt like it would be a defensive struggle from both sides.

But the Panthers pushed themselves way ahead with three goals in the second period, each four minutes apart from each other, with a couple from unlikely sources.

Dmitry Kulikov, who had his share of struggles on defense this postseason and is already not known for his offensive prowess, clapped home a slapshot from near the blue line. It was the 34-year-old defenseman’s first postseason goal since 2015-16 – his first stint as a Florida Panther.

Jesper Boqvist snapped in a shot next to the post on a beautiful cross-ice pass from Reinhart a few minutes later.

Defenseman Niko Mikkola, charging in from the blue line, fired a slapshot four minutes later to go up 4-0.

For good measure, fourth-line forward A.J. Greer popped one in the final frame to go up, 5-0.

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped the first 31 shots he faced and only allowed one goal: a garbage-time spin-around backhander from Nicholas Robertson. Bobrovsky has allowed one goal and saved 54 shots over his last two games.

The Panthers have a chance to clinch this series on home ice Friday.