Toronto’s top line stepped up in a major way in the third. Auston Matthews set up Mitch Marner to give the Leafs the lead with nine minutes to play, and Marner then made a perfect stretch pass to set up Knies for a breakaway goal. Sam Reinhart pulled the Panthers within one with two minutes left, but that’s as close as they would get.

But with all that said about Marner's offensive heroics, it was his defensive prowess in the final minutes while the Maple Leafs were holding a 3-2 lead that pleased his coach the most. At one point, the Toronto forward leapt in the air to bat down a puck, then dove to swat it out of the Toronto zone and relieve the pressure.

Expert recap and game analysis of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers NHL game from April 2, 2025 on ESPN.

Mitch Marner broke a tie at 10:50 of the third period, and the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth with a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. After Auston Matthews retrieved his own rebound,

Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies each tallied a goal and an assist to help Toronto beat the visiting Florida Panthers 3-2 on Wednesday, allowing the Maple Leafs to stretch their lead atop the Atlantic Division.

The Toronto Maple Leafs take down the Florida Panthers and clinch a playoff berth for the ninth straight season. Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Anthony Stolarz won a Cup with the Panthers last season. With the Leafs, he likes what he saw in a battle of Atlantic Division rivals.

Missing more than a few big guns, the Florida Panthers battled hard but came up just short in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. In defeat, they led 34-22 in scoring chances.

Supplies helper Wednesday