In this scene, Eetu Luostarinen scored the decisive 2-1 for Florida. © APA / JOEL AUERBACH

Florida and Toronto provide an appetizer

The Florida Panthers returned to winning ways with a 3-1 home win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena. It was a taste of the playoffs.

09 April 2025

From: sportsnews

The reigning Stanley Cup champion benefited from the return of several key players – including captain Aleksander Barkov, special teams expert Sam Reinhart and defenseman Gustav Forsling – and put the previous five-game losing streak to rest.

The decisive goal came in the final period, when Florida's Eetu Luostarinen scored with a backhand shot to make it 2-1. A subsequent empty-net goal definitively broke Toronto's neck.

Both teams are already mathematically qualified for the playoffs, but could face each other in the first round. The race this season is extremely close: The Maple Leafs lead the standings by two points over the Tampa Bay Lightning and four points behind the Panthers. A win would have at least secured home-court advantage for Toronto, which had previously won four games in a row.