Maple Leafs stave off elimination with Game 4 win over Panthers

The Maple Leafs aren’t achieved but.

Mitch Marner had a objective and an help as Toronto downed the Florida Panthers 2-1 in a must-win Recreation 4 to chop the deficit to 3-1 within the groups’ second-round collection Wednesday.

William Nylander additionally scored for the visiting Leafs. Rookie goaltender Joseph Woll made 24 saves in his first post-season begin with Ilya Samsonov sidelined resulting from harm. Marner and Nylander each snapped seven-game objective droughts.

Seeking to grow to be simply the fifth group in NHL historical past to climb out of a 3-0 gap, Toronto will get not less than a 48-hour reprieve and can host Recreation 5 of the best-of-seven matchup Friday at Scotiabank Enviornment.

Recreation 6, if obligatory, can be Sunday again in South Florida.

WATCH | Marner scores decisive objective to assist Maple Leafs power Recreation 5 :

Marner pots the winner as Leafs prolong collection with Panthers to a fifth sport

Mitch Marner’s third interval objective was sufficient to offer Toronto a 2-1 win in sport 4 over Florida, forcing a sport 5 in Toronto Friday.

The Leafs caught an enormous break at 3:28 of the second interval on their first energy play.

Toronto winger Michael Bunting tried to place the puck behind Florida’s web, however it went off the referee within the nook and caromed to Nylander, who jabbed the puck off the put up, off Bobrovsky and in for his first objective of the collection and third of the playoffs for a 1-0 lead.

The Panthers netminder made an enormous cease on Bunting on one other Toronto man benefit later within the interval. David Kampf was then stopped twice in tight.

Woll, who acquired the decision after Samsonov was injured in Recreation 3, held the fort on the different finish earlier than Kampf was crushed by Florida’s Radko Gudas after the whistle on a delayed Toronto penalty. The Leafs ahead went to the locker room, however returned for the third interval.

John Tavares had a terrific alternative to make it 2-0 late within the second, however Bobrovsky was there to disclaim the Toronto captain — simply as he did in Recreation 2.

Woll made a pleasant cease on a Josh Mahura tip 5 minutes into the third earlier than Marner, a lightning rod for criticism after a forgettable Recreation 3, made it 2-0 at 10:03 of the third when his shot from distance by a crowd fooled Bobrovsky for his third.

Reinhart, who scored in extra time of Recreation 3, made it 2-1 with 7:47 left on a Florida energy play that simply made it over the objective line on a scramble for his sixth.

However the guests held on late to power the collection again to Toronto.

The Leafs’ star-forward quartet of Auston Matthews, Nylander, Tavares and Marner mixed for zero targets by the primary three video games of the collection.

With the victory Wednesday, Toronto delayed the begin to a summer time of inevitable questions on teaching, administration and roster development that might have include a disastrous second-round displaying on the heels of the group’s greatest playoff second in almost twenty years.

Toronto lastly broke by within the post-season for the primary time since 2004 — together with six straight collection losses for Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Morgan Rielly — when the membership acquired previous the Tampa Bay Lightning within the opening spherical.

All these good emotions, together with wild road celebrations within the hockey-crazed metropolis, withered on the vine in lower than two weeks with three losses that included a dismal efficiency from a few of the group’s greatest gamers in Recreation 3.

Now the Leafs have a little bit of life.

The Panthers, in the meantime, noticed their franchise-record playoff successful streak finish at six contests, however may have three extra cracks at knocking off Toronto on the heels of carrying out the identical feat in opposition to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in seven video games after trailing that collection 3-1.