SUNRISE, FLA.—The idea, coming into Florida, was for the Maple Leafs to get back on track.
The Maple Leafs got a point thanks to a Nazem Kadri goal in the third period, but dropped their second in a row — this one in a shootout, 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.
If this is the track, they’re going the wrong way. They started flat, and could barely generate any offence against a Florida team that can’t match the Leafs’ depth, and waited for the third period to truly come to life.
Overtime was exciting but solved nothing, the game decided on Nick Bjugstad’s deke on Frederik Andersen in the shootout.