Montour scores in OT, Panthers beat Maple Leafs to snap skid

By James On Mar 30, 2023

TORONTO (AP) — Brandon Montour scored 1:41 into overtime and the Florida Panthers rallied to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Wednesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart also scored to help the Panthers earn their first win since snapping a 6-0-1 skid in a loss to Philadelphia on March 21. Alex Lyon stopped 38 shots as Florida moved one point behind Pittsburgh for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Zach Aston-Reese and Auston Matthews scored for the playoff-bound Maple Leafs, and Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves.

In overtime, Aleksander Barkov brought the puck up the left side in a 2-on-2 run and sent a cross pass to Montour, who quickly edged past Samsonov for his 14th.

The Panthers trailed 2-1 until Reinhart tied it with 1 minute remaining in regulation on a power play when he caught a pass from Aaron Ekblad and shot a timer from above the left circle through traffic and past Samsonov. It was his 28.

Matthews had given Toronto the lead at 6:40 of the third when he received a pass from Mitch Marner just over the left circle and fired a shot that beat Lyon by five holes. It was Matthews’ 37th goal of the season and gave Marner 67 assists.

Matthews has six goals and five assists as part of a seven-game scoring streak. Marner, meanwhile, has points in 11 straight games.

Lundell put the Panthers on the scoreboard first, receiving a pass from Eetu Luostarinen in the slot and firing a shot past Samsonov just 1 minute into the game. It was his tenth.

Aston-Reese tied it for the Maple Leafs at 3:13 of the second when she went to the front of the net and deflected TJ Brodie’s long shot into the air past Lyon. It was his eighth.

Jarnkrok Street appeared to give Toronto their first lead moments later in a 2-on-1, but the play was properly challenged for offside by Matthews.

Aston-Reese then fired wide on a penalty kick after the striker was cut off on a breakaway, and the teams remained level 1–1 over two periods.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Panthers: In Montreal on Thursday night in the third of a four-game trip.

Maple Leafs: In Ottawa on Saturday night before returning home for a two-game skid.