Leafs lose 4-2 against Panthers in Game 1

Playoff hockey continues in Toronto Tuesday night as the Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers.

The Leafs punched their ticket to the second round on Saturday with an overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6.

Tuesday night’s 7 p.m. game marks the Leafs’ deepest playoff run in almost two decades and fans will be in out in full force to show their support.

Here are the Game 1 updates. The score was 4-2.

9:45 p.m.

The Toronto Maple Leafs drop their first game in their playoff series against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

The Leafs lost 4-2 against the Panthers at the Scotiabank Arena Thursday night.

Players will hit the ice for Game 2 on Thursday night at 7 p.m. EST.

9:26 p.m.

Florida sinks yet another goal into the net, pushing the score 4-2 with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

8:46 p.m.

Florida retakes the lead with a goal from Carter Verhaeghe. Panthers are up 3-2 after 40 minutes of play.

8:35 p.m.

Michael Bunting, assisted by Calle Jarnkok and Ryan O'Reilly, ties the game 2-2 with five minutes left in the second period.

8:25 p.m.

Seconds after the Panthers scored their second goal of the night, thanks to Sam Bennett, Matthew Knies gets the Leafs on board in the second period. It is his first NHL goal.

Florida leads 2-1.

8:17 p.m.

The power outage affecting thousands of residents in the east end has been resolved, Toronto Hydro says. Meanwhile, the Leafs continue to trail the Panthers 1-0.

7:46 p.m.

The Panthers close out the first period in the lead with 1-0. While the game goes into commercial break, over 5,000 Torontonians in the east end are experiencing a power outage.

Toronto Hydro says residents in Bloor Street south to Gerrard Street and Broadview Avenue east to Pape Avenue are affected.
 

7:26 p.m.

Nick Cousins sinks the first puck into the net for the night, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

7:10 p.m.

Puck drops for Game 1 of the Leafs versus Panthers series at the Scotiabank Arena.

6:05 p.m.

Leafs fans are flying in from far and wide to cheer on the Toronto team as they take on the Florida Panthers for Game 1 in their playoff series.

It is the longest playoff series the Leafs have been in since 2004, and thousands of fans are waiting hours in line to make they way into Maple Leaf Square's tail gate party.

"We tried to get Square tickets for the last few games and it sells out right away, so [my friend] got Zone 1 and I was like 'Cancel all the plans,'" one fan standing outside Scotiabank Arena told CTV News Toronto.

Despite some rain, some fans say you "can't beat the energy" from Maple Leaf Square.

"It's just so much fun," another fan said.

MLSE confirmed to CTV News Toronto that it expects 6,500 fans to arrive in the Square.

5:40 P.M.

Fans are starting to gather at a tailgate party at Maple Leaf Square ahead of puck drop. As for fans who are still making their way to the game or the party, the TTC says it is adding service to its key routes so fans can get to and from Scotiabank Arena and the outdoor viewing party “as efficiently as possible.”

There will be five additional subway trains on Line 1 when the game ends, and extra shuttle buses will run between Woodbine and Kennedy Stations. That portion of Line 2 will have no service after 11 p.m. for track work.

The TTC says it will also have extra staff at Union Station and other downtown locations to help customers and manage crowds.

The transit agency adds fans can also take the 72B Pape and 121 Esplanade-River buses as an alternative to and from Scotiabank Arena.

“The TTC anticipates many Leafs fans to be cheering on the team tonight. Customers are reminded that some streets may be closed and TTC routes may be required to divert,” the agency said.

Here's what else you need to know about the series:

WHAT ARE THE LEAFS’ CHANCES?

The Leafs went 3-1 against the Panthers in their regular season matchups, but that doesn’t mean that the series won’t go long.

“I still think the series goes at least six games,” TSN radio host Matt Cauz told Newstalk 1010’s The Jerry Agar Show on Tuesday.

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“Florida is better than a normal hockey club. They had the best record in the NHL last season. They had injuries this year. They are a dangerous team. But Toronto deserves to be the favorite.”

Current odds on FanDuel appear to support that theory, where the Leafs are the betting favourite to win it all.

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares reacts to scoring a goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

“They should be the favorite in this series. They are the more talented team. They're better defensively,” Cauz added.

Toronto is 50-21-11 overall with a 19-9-4 record against the Atlantic Division. Florida is 42-32-8 overall with a 21-9-3 record against the Atlantic Division.

LEAFS LINEUP TONIGHT

While Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has said nothing is set in stone, Tuesday’s projected lineup includes Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthews Knies on the top line.

The second line is projected to be John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and Calle Jarnkrok.

The third line is Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, and Michael Bunting.

MAPLE LEAF SQUARE

The Leafs tailgate area is being expanded for the second round and will include an additional viewing zone along Bremner Boulevard from York Street to Lower Simcoe Street.

Fans need to register for a free mobile pass to be get into Maple Leaf Square, which are only available on the Toronto Maple Leafs app. However, a quick glance at social media shows the free tickets are hard to come by and some users are even putting their passes up for sale to meet the demand.

Gates to the Square open up at 5 p.m.

'INCREASED' POLICE PRESENCE

There will be an increased police presence in and around the area of Scotiabank Arena to keep things under control Tuesday night, Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue confirmed.

“Our priority is the safety of everyone in attendance at tonight's game. So we've been working with MLSE and our city partners to make sure that the fans have a great time while we keep the city safe and do the best to keep traffic moving as well,” she told Agar.

Celebrations following Saturday night’s Game 6 win were largely tame, although at least one person was arrested after they slapped a police horse on their hindquarters.

• READ MORE: One person arrested for slapping police horse during Maple Leafs celebrations

Due to the number of surveillance cameras in the area of Maple Leaf Square (which sits just outside of Gate 6 of Scotiabank Arena) and because officers have body-worn cameras, Pogue said police can charge individuals who are behaving badly after the fact.

“Just because somebody doesn't get charged at the time, we will certainly continue to investigate and hold those responsible,” she said.

PANTHERS BAN LEAFS FANS?

In an attempt to keep the number of blue-and-white jerseys at bay in Florida, the Panthers are limiting ticket sales for their home games in the series to U.S. residents for the first 24 hours.

“This is typical gamesmanship of insecure franchises with very small and fickle fan bases,” Cauz said of the ticket-limiting strategy.

In a statement to CTV News Toronto on Monday, a spokesperson for the Panthers said the decision to limit ticket sales gives “local fans first access” to the game.

After the initial 24 hours has passed, anyone can buy a ticket regardless of their residence, the team confirmed. Tickets on the secondary market are not subject to the policy. 

With files from CTV News Toronto's Mike Walker