_Brian_Jackson_Alamy.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale#)
_Steven_Jones_Alamy.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale#)
.jpg?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=70&format=jpg&auto=webp#)
Nylander’s tone-setter, Knies’ clutch winner carry Maple Leafs to Game 1 win
With No. 23’s latest highlight-reel moment in the books, the Maple Leafs move on with a 1-0 series lead few expected to see on the ledger by the time the Monday-night tilt had come to a close.
TORONTO — There was a moment, as the puck hovered above the centre-ice dot, just before it hit the sheet to begin this bar-room brawl of a second-round test, when you could feel the tension ripple among the 19,031 packing the Scotiabank Arena stands. When you could feel the uncertainty of what this next part would look like for the Toronto Maple Leafs, after a brief weekend of relief and triumph.
It’s one thing to believe your team can do what it’s supposed to do, that it can sidestep its playoff ghosts and handle an opponent the standings say it should. It’s another to wonder if it can take down a giant, if it can dethrone a king. Toronto learned that lesson the hard way two years ago, against this same Goliath.
And so there was a moment, before it all began, when all those questions swirled.
Then the puck dropped, the two clubs charged out of the gates, and William Nylander fired a goal into the Florida Panthers’ net before the night was 40 seconds old.
“Outstanding,” defender Morgan Rielly said of No. 88’s quick-trigger tally, which saw Nylander pick the puck up just inside the Panthers’ blue line, carry it down the right wall, and beat Sergei Bobrovsky glove-side. “He came out and he was feeling it.”
“First shift for him — huge goal,” fellow blue-liner Chris Tanev added after the dust had settled on a 5-4 Game 1 victory over the Cats. “Gets the crowd right into it, sets the tone for how we wanted to play. Great start.
“We’ve just got to continue to build on that.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372392607112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372392607112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372392607112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-923399" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6372392607112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/6372392607112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/nylander-cracks-the-seal-for-maple-leafs-33-seconds-in-vs-panthers/" }); });
On this night, they did. Twelve-and-a-half minutes later, after a fair few more chances for the home side and a momentum-building penalty kill, Nylander struck again — picking up a rebound in the slot, giving Bobrovsky some shake-and-bake, and wiring the puck top-shelf from one knee. He threw his arms high, and the crowd roared, this often awkwardly quiet barn vibrating with a glint of hope and optimism no one saw coming.
In the final minutes of what might’ve been the best opening period this Maple Leafs core has managed in the post-season, the inevitable wobble came.
A too-many-men call, with Toronto on the power play, in their own zone, free of any pressure, let the air out of the balloon. A power-play point shot from Seth Jones deflated it fully, sent the thing skittering off into the corner, as the puck floated by Anthony Stolarz and got Florida on the board.
It was the type of unforced error that’s sunk the Maple Leafs time and time again in the playoff pressure-cooker, usually followed by a string of continued errors that wind up burying the blue-and-white. This time, it took less than 20 seconds for the Maple Leafs to steady themselves. Before the Panthers had time to bask in their plot twist, Nylander flipped a saucer pass to a streaking Rielly, who carried the puck into Florida’s zone on a two-on-one and whipped it by Bobrovsky’s blocker, restoring the home side’s two-goal lead.
In doing so, No. 44 etched his name in franchise history, setting the record for post-season goals by a Maple Leafs defenceman.
“It’s cool. But, you know, ultimately we’re still chasing one thing,” Rielly said of the bit of history post-game. “You ask anyone in here, no one’s really focused on anything else besides that.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372393206112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372393206112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372393206112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-831102" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6372393206112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/6372393206112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/rielly-provides-immediate-response-after-jones-gets-panthers-on-board/" }); });
With the Maple Leafs looking more calm, more collected, more poised through the early going than anyone on the opposing side likely expected, the Panthers took matters into their own hands, resorting to a different tactic to get the club off its game — early in the second period, Florida’s Sam Bennett tagged former teammate Stolarz with an elbow to the back of the head, sending the netminder to the ice in pain.
By the middle of the period, Stolarz skated to the bench, clearly unwell, and was replaced by Joseph Woll — it was eventually announced the Leafs’ starter was done for the night. Fast-forward a period later, five minutes into the final frame, and the Panthers had hung two goals on Woll, cutting Toronto’s lead to one.
Craig Berube called a timeout, offering his squad a simple message:
“Tighten up, dig in,” said Rielly.
“Play our game,” remembered Tanev. “Forecheck — play in their end as much as we can.”
“Just settle down,” Berube said himself of the message delivered during that crucial timeout. “I thought we were backing off too much, not being aggressive anymore, especially through the neutral zone. We kind of sagged back a little bit too much and let them get to their game too much.
“So, it was just, ‘Get on our toes again. Let’s get up, get our gaps up, get our angles up.’”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372396538112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372396538112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372396538112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-616322" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6372396538112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/6372396538112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/nylander-hoping-maple-leafs-can-build-off-game-1-performance-vs-panthers/" }); });
Once again, the home side steadied. With six minutes left in what was then a one-goal affair, the Panthers beginning to look like the club that’s rolled through the post-season for the past two years, it was young Matthew Knies who grabbed the moment and wrestled it into submission.
With chaos spilling into Woll’s crease, a Cats rush resulting in defender Jake McCabe flying into his netminder and toppling him over, Knies took the puck off a Mitch Marner chip pass, flew down the ice, and beat Bobrovsky with a forehand-backhand beauty.
It turned out to be more than just a needed statement from the home side, a late Bennett goal turning Knies’ tally into a game-winner.
“I just saw that I could spring myself past their D, and Mitch made a great play on the wall there to get it to me,” Knies said of his goal. “I just wanted to beat him high on the glove side — we did a lot of video, and I thought I got him earlier [there] in the regular season. I just wanted to elevate that one. It worked out for me.”
It’s not the first time during this post-season run that the 22-year-old has come up clutch for his club, nor is it the first time that momentum has been swung in the Maple Leafs’ favour by a galloping, indomitable breakaway attempt from No. 23.
“He’s been incredible,” Rielly said of the young winger. “Those goals, when he’s at high speed like that coming down, are extremely impressive — that’s not easy.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372396838112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372396838112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372396838112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-365050" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6372396838112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/6372396838112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/were-still-chasing-one-thing-rielly-on-game-1-win-vs-panthers/" }); });
“He’s a pitbull out there, with some nice hands,” quipped Tanev. “When he gets half a step on guys, it’s tough for anyone to catch him. He’s done a bit of everything for us, at a very high level of play. It’s been huge for us.”
Added netminder Woll, who no doubt finished the night grateful for the bail-out: “He’s a special player, man. He’s a horse. … He’s got a lot of maturity, and he shows that. I think he’s pretty unfazed by all that [pressure] — he just goes out and does his job.”
With No. 23’s latest highlight-reel moment in the books, the Maple Leafs move on with a 1-0 series lead few expected to see on the ledger by the time the Monday-night tilt had come to a close.
But more than the electric start, the composed closer, or the sterling individual performances from the blue-and-white’s leaders in between, it’s the bigger picture that matters most here. The mettle, and the growth, that was shown. The fact that these Leafs — even with the pressure peaking, even with the defending champs coming at them, even with maybe the most important member of their squad knocked out of the game — still managed to come out on the right end of things.
“I think we’ve been in tight games throughout the season, where other teams are pushing, and we’ve just found a way,” Nylander said of how they did it in this one. “We dug into that, and tried to bear down and grind out the W.”
