Florida Panthers stay consistent for 5-3 win over Toronto Maple Leafs -NHL Update
Florida played like a playoff team is meant to be performing as the Panthers stayed consistent throughout the 60-minute contest and routed Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3, Tuesday night, February 28, 2012, at the sold-out Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada.
Panthers still stand at number three in the Eastern Conference with 72 points and being a team that really changed things around this 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, seeing them strong in the postseason should not be surprising.
With Toronto fans fed up with the current situation their team is stuck in at the moment and has been for multiple seasons now, people could not withhold chanting against the management.
Slogans of “Fire Wilson!” were heard throughout the Air Canada Centre, pointing at letting go of head coach, Ron Wilson, if Toronto hopes on getting anywhere near the playoffs.
Maple Leafs are still below the postseason divisional line at number 10 with 65 points, needing to five the next games back-to-back to show any seriousness.
Marcel Goc kicked off the scoring with his sixth of the regular season, 13 seconds into the opening period followed by Mike Santorelli nearly two minutes later.
John Madden was booked at the 18:58 mark, giving Toronto an ample opportunity to take advantage but Florida was just too determined to take the match and maintain their lead.
Phil Kessel made Toronto’s first midway through the second on a power play advantage but Santorelli came right back to kill the momentum with a goal, having an extra skater at 13:54.
The added man advantages were working well for Florida as they added their second goal of the night on the opportunity with Jason Garrison firing away on the breakaway.
Nikolai Kulemin gave Toronto their second nearly midway through but Stephen Weiss’ insurance goal at 9:49 totally took the match out of their hands. Joffrey Lupul added the last of the night with less than three minutes to go in regulation with Jason Garrison
out with a penalty.
Florida is on a three-game winning streak and look forward to staying hot as they playoff against Winnipeg Jets on Thursday while Toronto has the next against Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
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