1/5
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad totaled two assists in a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday in Sunrise, Fla. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) — Forward Sam Reinhart scored 3:02 into overtime to help the Florida Panthers extend their playoff series lead (3-0) on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Seattle Kraken and New Jersey Devils also claimed the latest Game 3 wins. Reinhart carved his skates into the ice and darted around defenders before he passed off the boards behind the goal to spark the final sequence of the 3-2 win Sunday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Advertisement
“We’ve had a lot of guys stepping up at big moments,” Reinhart told reporters. “We are all trying to execute the same game plan at the end of the day. We are just gaining more confidence with it in tight situations.”
Reinhart initially received the puck near the blue line before he darted back toward the Panthers goal on the final attack. He then cut into the ice and moved back toward the Maple Leafs goal. He split two defenders before he ripped a pass against the boards.
Advertisement
Panthers forward Anton Lundell received the feed as Reinhart skated behind the goal. Lundell then fired a pass back to Reinhart, who corralled the puck and skated in front of the left post. Reinhart finished the play by sliding the puck between the legs of Maple Leafs net minder Joseph Woll.
Panthers forwards Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe also scored in the victory. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad logged two assists. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky totaled 22 saves.
Forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Erik Gustafsson each scored for the Maple Leafs.
The wild card Panthers will host the No. 2 Maple Leafs in Game 4 at 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Sunrise. The winner of the series will meet the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes or No. 2 New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Devils beat the Hurricanes 8-4 for their first win of the series (2-1) Sunday in Newark, N.J. Forward Jack Hughes totaled two scores and two assists for the Devils. Fellow forward Dawson Mercer tallied three assists in the win.
Forwards Ondrej Palat and Nico Hischier totaled one goal and one assist apiece for the Devils. Michael McLeod, Miles Wood, Timo Meier and Damon Severson also scored for the Devils.
Advertisement
Forwards Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook each logged one goal and one assist for the Hurricanes. The Devils will host the Hurricanes in Game 4 at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Newark.
In Sunday’s nightcap, seven different Seattle Kraken players scored in a 7-2 victory over the Dallas Stars in Seattle. The wild card Kraken now own a 2-1 lead on the No. 2 Stars.
Forwards Jordan Eberle, Matt Beniers, Eeli Tolvanen, Alex Wennberg, Yanni Gourde and defensemen Justin Schultz and Carson Soucy each scored for the Kraken. Schultz, Wennberg, Tolvanen and Beniers also logged assists.
Forward Mason Marchment and defenseman Jani Hakanpaa scored for the Stars.
The Kraken will host the Stars in Game 4 at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Seattle. The winner of the series will face the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights or No. 2 Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference finals. That series is tied 1-1.
The Oilers will host the Golden Knights in Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. Monday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.