William Nylander propelled the Toronto Maple Leafs to a strong start in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring two goals and providing an assist in their 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 1, held on Monday night. The dynamic winger scored just 33 seconds into the game and continued to play a pivotal role in Toronto's early offensive surge.

The Leafs quickly established a commanding lead, with notable contributions from Matthew Knies and Chris Tanev, who each recorded a goal and an assist, while Morgan Rielly also found the back of the net. Toronto initially took an early advantage, and even after Anthony Stolarz left the game due to an undisclosed injury in the second period, the Leafs managed to secure the win with backup goaltender Joseph Woll stopping 17 shots in relief.

On the other side, the Panthers, who triumphed over the Leafs in five games during the previous year's playoffs, had goals from Seth Jones, Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, and Sam Bennett. Notably, Sergei Bobrovsky, the goaltender for the defending champions, stopped 24 shots but was unable to fend off the array of offense Toronto presented throughout the game. Both Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe contributed two assists to Florida's effort.

This victory marked a critical step for the Leafs, who previously advanced by defeating the Ottawa Senators in the first round, marking just their second series win in over two decades. The first period saw Nylander start strong by scoring his fourth postseason goal by slipping a shot through Bobrovsky’s five-hole. Once the Leafs established a 2-0 lead, Nylander capitalized on a rebound, extending the advantage when he outmaneuvered Bobrovsky for his second goal.

Florida managed to respond to the early onslaught when Jones scored a power-play goal at 16:57, narrowing the gap to 2-1. However, Toronto quickly regained a two-goal cushion with Rielly’s goal, assisted by Nylander, just 19 seconds later. The eventful first period concluded with the Leafs holding a 3-1 lead after the first period, showcasing their determination to take control of the series.

Turning to the second period, the Panthers attempted to capitalize on their opportunities, but Stolarz stood strong until he left the game after an unfortunate incident. Shortly before his exit, Tanev increased Toronto's lead to 4-1 with a surprising shot that beat Bobrovsky. Stolarz's abrupt departure led to Woll taking over in goal as the tension in the arena heightened.

Despite trailing, Florida's resilience became evident as Luostarinen redirected a shot early in the final period, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Balinskis followed up with another goal to bring the score closer at 4-3, intensifying the pressure on the Leafs. However, the home team's power play opportunities during the third period produced no additional goals, and Bobrovsky made a pivotal save on a breakaway attempt by Max Domi, preventing further damage.

With the clock winding down, Knies extended the lead to 5-3, executing a deft move to score on a breakaway. Yet, Florida refused to back down, and Bennett narrowed the score to 5-4 with a goal in the final minutes, igniting hopes for a comeback. Despite the late surge from the Panthers, Woll stood tall in net, ensuring that Toronto secured the vital Game 1 victory.

As the teams prepare for Game 2 on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Arena, expectations are high for a heated matchup between these Atlantic Division rivals, with the series then set to shift to South Florida.