Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (23) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of Game 1 of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Watch: Missed tripping call aids Maple Leafs in Game 1 win

By Eric Smithling | Last updated May 5, 2025 11:40 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs survived a furious third-period rally by the Florida Panthers in their 5-4 Game 1 Eastern Conference second-round win with an assist from the officials.

The Panthers cut a 4-1 Maple Leafs lead to 4-3 in the third, when forward Alexander Barkov passed the puck to teammate Sam Reinhart near Toronto's goal.

As Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll blocked the attempt, defenseman Jake McCabe clipped Reinhart's right skate with his stick, sending the 2024 Cup winner crashing to the ice and the boards.

Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies got the puck on a breakaway, skated past Florida's last line of defense and got the puck past Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

WE KNEW HE WAS KNIES ON BREAKAWAYS!!! pic.twitter.com/NNcKsh98Eo
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 6, 2025

A tripping penalty easily could have been called against McCabe, which would have altered the game's complexion. Toronto wouldn't have had the golden scoring opportunity had officials sent McCabe to the penalty box. With how the rest of the game unfolded, that could have been the difference in who won.

The Panthers scored a 6-on-5 goal with 1:55 remaining, once again cutting the deficit to one, 5-4.

Florida was the more aggressive team after the first period, taking a three-fourths of all shots in the second and third periods. (h/t Natural Stat Trick)

It was almost enough to pull off a stunning comeback. It might have been if officials had seen what most others saw.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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