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The Florida Panthers had six players earn a game misconduct last night while beating the Ottawa Senators on the ice and the scoreboard 5-0. The Toronto Maple Leafs have recently lost to teams they should beat and are trying something new: separating Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Both teams come out strong off the opening face off, with the Maple Leafs coming closest to scoring when Calle Järnkrok gets a good pass from Tyler Bertuzzi but can't complete the sequence. It does kick off three quick chances for the Leafs but Anthony Stolarz keeps the puck out.

The first period goes by relatively quickly, with both teams seemingly holding back some energy for later in the game. Shots stay even through out, and nothing since that first sequence gets people up and out of their seats. Mitch Marner plays close to the net when he gets into the offensive zone, but Panthers defender Niko Mikkola pushes him around with ease.

Everyone gets excited for a Nick Robertson goal, but nothing gets past the Panthers tender.

Mitch Marner is playing deep in the Leafs zone when a shot from the blue line deflects off his cheek. He goes down and at the whistle hustles right to the Leafs dressing room on his own.

The Panthers start to edge up in shots on goal, with the Leafs making some mistakes in their end, and losing the physical game.

These factors end up with the Panthers taking a 1-0 lead with less than five minutes to go in the first period.

How's Mitch Marner doing? Well. Secrets are whispered.

The first period has been lost by the Leafs, with the Panthers taking over and more than doubling the shots against the Leafs at 2:30 remaining, it's 14-6 Florida.

A too many men on the ice call is made, and somehow it isn't against the Leafs? Is that allowed? Leafs go to the power play with 26 seconds remaining. Auston Matthews manages one good shot on the powerplay before the period ends.

After one it's 1-0 Florida, who lead in shots 15-6.

The power play begins the second period with 1:35 to go, Mitch Marner is back on the ice with a full cage, and the Leafs manage four shot and come close to tying the game, but Stolarz is on top of his game tonight.

Max Domi gets four minutes of penalties, with a cross check to Matthew Tkachuk followed up with a roughing on Sam Bennett. Joseph Woll will have a big workout ahead of him.

The Leafs are defending with a diamond formation in their end, doing their best to keep the Panthers shots to the perimeter. Not much is being done to force them out of the zone, with the Leafs pretty much allowing the Panthers to run the show.

Tkachuk gets roughed up a bit by Jake McCabe, who surprisingly doesn't get a penalty. The Panthers barely tie the Leafs with shots that get onto the net with a twice as long powerplay.

Near the end of the man advantage, William Nylander gets a shorthanded chance, the puck rolls along the goal line, but somehow stays out. That gets the crowd going, and the Leafs get some energy to make a second attempt. No goals, but nothing for the Panthers power play either.

Some bad news for the Leafs defense, Mark Giordano is out for the rest of the game.

The Panters have now doubled the Leafs in shots (21-11), BTW. If I didn't see the hilarity last night myself I would have thought the Leafs were the team that played last night.

William Nylander is set on tying the game himself, hitting the post on an empty net, then getting another chance seconds later. Then he draws an interference call from Aaron Ekblad.

The Leafs get a couple good chances, the crowd is appreciative, but go 0/2 on power plays tonight. No shots get through to the goal that time.

Midway through the second, Max Domi and Sam Bennet thrown down after a hit into the boards. Domi doesn't give up, but doesn't get the win. He does mock Bennet's baldness though, so at least he doesn't feel too bad about the loss.

The Panthers take the play to the Leafs again, tangling up behind their net. Noah Gregor sees the puck get shot out the scrum, takes advantage, breaks away across the ice and goes top corner to tie the game.

1-1 Everyone.

Is the third time the charm? Kevin Stenlund gets a penalty for tripping, and once again the Leafs try to score on a five on four.

They don't. Keefe is mad. The second period ends tied at ones, Panthers lead shots 29-20.

Toronto had a bit more pep in their step as the third period begins, going a bit harder at the Panthers net, Morgan Rielly sliding to block shots, and William Nylander come into the Panthers end alone.

Matthew Tkachuk rushes the Leafs net so hard he slides into Woll and knocks his mask off. On replay, it's Knies' stick that gets caught on Tkachuk and slides the helmet off Woll. Tkachuk successfully disputed a penalty call there.

Mitch Marner skates hard and fast into the Panthers end but Niko Mikkola blocks his path again. Marner doesn't back down and gets the best of him physically this time.

I mentioned earlier about the Leafs looking like they were saving energy, and it's coming out now. They've almost tied in shots on goal, Matthews, Marner, Bertuzzi, all kinds of players are getting chances and shots, the crowd is more awake, lots of action up and down the ice.

The Leafs get another chance to not score on the powerplay when Barkov trips Jake McCabe, and I'll sum it up quickly: They don't score. 0/4 tonight.

Joseph Woll is the star of this game, keeping the Leafs alive all night and standing up for himself.

Noah Gregor, the Leafs goal scorer, goes down when Jonah Gadjovich gets him in the face and Gregor goes down. No penalty called right away, but the crowd is loud and angry at them. They're just about to drop the puck but the play is being reviewed for a four minute double minor.

It's a four minute powerplay with 3:04 remaining.

They start off well with Nylander, Tavares, and Matthews getting quality chances, but the Panthers get the puck down to the Leafs end and trap it there for a few seconds, killing time.

Two minutes down, no goal. One minute left in the game.

The Leafs fight for the puck, and scramble to score before the clock ticks down and then with five seconds to go it's the Maple Leafs special: Too Many Men.

The kings of the bench minor continue to reign.

Five seconds of four on four, then in overtime it will be 55 seconds for three on three before Florida gets a four on three advantage.

Aaron Ekblad gets the puck off the face off and just parks behind his own net, waiting for the Panthers power play to begin. A Leaf finally forces him to make a move, and it clears the Panthers zone as the Panthers 58 second power play begins.

The Leafs kill the penalty, with help from Woll, and we have three minutes of three on three ahead of us.

Nylander and Matthews do most of the heavy lifting in overtime, controlling play, taking shots, and rarely giving up the ice. When they leave the Panthers take control and we end up in the Leafs zone. The Leafs get it back when Nylander comes onto the ice and whips passes and shots, but no one can score before we go to the shoot out.

William Nylander is our first shooter, but he stays off the scoring list and goes 0/4 on the shootout tonight.

Anton Lindell up first for Florida, denied by Woll.

Auston Matthews, scores five hole. Leafs up 1-0.

Aleksander Barkov comes up for Florida, Woll makes the save.

Mitch Marner can score to win it. Trips at the end of his play, and wipes out.

Sam Reinhart needs to score here to keep it alive. Goes glove high, 1-1.

Max Domi shoots high.

Matthew Tkachuk misses the net as well.

Nick Robertson reaches for a hard shot, hits the pads.

Evan Rodrigues gets the game winner, but it's being challenged that he scored on a rebound.

I've never seen a shootout goal called back, but it's been done. So many people are now streaming back into the arena.

Noah Gregor gets up for Toronto. Goes high blocker, the same way he scored earlier in the game.

Some Florida guy tries to score, doesn't, and the wacky shootout finally ends with a Maple Leafs win.

Overall, the changing of the lines wasn't a drastic difference, didn't kick start Matthews or Marner, but it should stick for a few games at least. Don't run back to the same old same old right away.

Try changing the powerplay, that was terrible tonight.

The Maple Leafs next game is Thursday night at home against the Seattle Kraken. See you all then!

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