SUNRISE, Fla. — It is a formulation the Florida Panthers maintain utilizing within the playoffs: Take a lead after two intervals, then let Sergei Bobrovsky and the protection do the remainder. And it labored once more.
Bobrovsky stopped 23 photographs for his fifth profession playoff shutout, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett scored and the Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 on Sunday night time in Recreation 4 to even the Jap Convention semifinal collection.
Florida has received 25 consecutive playoff video games when main after two intervals, a streak that goes again to Might 5, 2022. And in serving to to tie the collection, Bobrovsky formally put a sluggish begin to relaxation. In Video games 1 and a couple of final week in Toronto, he allowed 9 objectives en route to 2 losses. He returned to Amerant Financial institution Enviornment on Friday night time for Recreation 3, and allowed 4 extra.
“It is a collection,” Bobrovsky mentioned. “The larger video games are forward, so we’re enthusiastic about them. The collection comes right down to a best-of-three, so it is a massive recreation, subsequent one.”
Residence-ice benefit has held, and Toronto will hope that pattern continues in Recreation 5 on Wednesday night time. The Leafs received Video games 1 and a couple of at residence, then dropped Video games 3 and 4 in Dawn.
“We had seems,” Toronto coach Craig Berube mentioned. “They’re doing a great job of swarming us with numbers, clearly. … It is a battle on the market. That is what it’s. They do not give you numerous.”
Verhaeghe scored on an influence play — Florida’s fourth of the sport — within the first interval, Bennett added the insurance coverage rating with 7:50 left and Bobrovsky did the remainder for his second shutout of this postseason.
Joseph Woll stopped 35 photographs for the Maple Leafs. “He was nice,” Berube mentioned of his netminder. “He performed a superb recreation.”
Verhaeghe’s aim got here after Matthew Tkachuk, alongside the left-wing boards, threaded a move by means of the slot and previous two defenders. It discovered Verhaeghe — who slammed a one-timer previous Woll.
That was a part of an early spree for Florida. The Panthers took 21 of the sport’s first 26 photographs on web, controlling play for lengthy stretches and maintaining all of the motion in entrance of Woll. He held agency, again and again, maintaining Toronto in it.
Bennett mentioned sufficient. He got here in from Woll’s left, with Verhaeghe reverse him, in search of a passing lane. When none appeared, Bennett went to the entrance of the online, watched Woll commit, then pushed the puck into the online earlier than punching the air.
“That was extra like the kind of Panthers playoff hockey that we’re used to,” Bennett mentioned.
It bought chippy late, as video games this late in a collection are likely to do. Oliver Ekman-Larsson — a part of the Florida group that received the Stanley Cup final season — delivered a shot to the top and neck space of Panthers ahead Evan Rodrigues about 5 minutes into within the third interval. It was initially referred to as a serious, then downgraded to a minor after evaluation.
Rodrigues will want additional analysis Monday, Panthers coach Paul Maurice mentioned.
And 4 gamers — Toronto’s Max Domi for boarding Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov; and Toronto’s Bobby McMann, Florida’s Aaron Ekblad and Panthers ahead Brad Marchand on his thirty seventh birthday — all bought 10-minute misconducts as time expired.
The Related Press contributed to this report.