Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs bottom six come alive in 4-1 win against Panthers

The Maple Leafs’ third line was responsible for both of the team’s first two goals, led by defenseman Troy Stecher’s first goal as a Leaf with assists from Dakota Joshua and Bobby McMann. The second goal was a nice move in front of Dakota Joshua’s net, with McMann and Stecher getting the assists. Although Nic Roy did not contribute to any of these goals, he set a crucial screen for Sergei Bobrovsky, allowing Stecher to beat him through traffic, and he also had some big chances later in the match.

The third goal of the match came in the final ten minutes of the third period and went to a prospect who needed one more than anyone in Scott Laughton. You could see the relief on his face after he cleared a rebound for Bobrovsky for what was only his third goal since joining the Maple Leafs at the 2025 trade deadline. Laughton has had several injury-related bad spells this season, so to see him finally rewarded must have made you feel good all over the bench.

People like to call these kinds of wins “a meaningless game in December,” maybe less so in this case because it happened against a division rival, but it shows that there is no such thing as a meaningless game. The Leafs haven’t won more than three games in a row yet this season, so the temperature is already higher than normal to get two points, and there’s an added element of pressure against a team like Florida.

Joseph Woll was once again solid en route to a 25 save on 26 shot performance, and it cannot be overstated how much his return and subsequent success has meant to a team that struggled to get a save for most of the first month of the year.

The Maple Leafs will look to win their third in a row and continue to build some real momentum as they wrap up their road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

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