3 most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs from 5-4 Game 1 win over Florida Panthers feat. William Nylander – Source: Imagn

The Toronto Maple Leafs fought off a late surge from the Florida Panthers to take Game 1 of their second-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena.

William Nylander scored twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs, leading the way offensively as Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, and Matthew Knies also added tallies for Toronto. Seth Jones (PPG), Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, and Sam Bennett replied for the Florida Panthers.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the three most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from their Game 1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

3 most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from Game 1 over Florida Panthers

#3 Morgan Rielly

Toronto Maple Leafs top D-man Morgan Rielly rose to the occasion, scoring a goal while registering a plus-3 rating on the night.

Here’s a look at Rielly’s goal:

Rielly led a 2-on-1 rush, selling the pass, and then taking the shot to beat Panthers’ netminder Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Leafs a 3-1 lead.

It’s worth pointing out that the Leafs blue line core played a crucial offensive role with Chris Tanev getting his first goal of the postseason and Jake McCabe registering two assists.

#2 Matthew Knies

Matthew Knies was huge for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1, getting the game-winning goal late in the third period.

Knies scored with roughly six minutes to go in the game, giving the Leafs a much-needed insurance goal.

Here’s a look:

Knies took a lead pass from Mitch Marner, streaking up the middle while fighting off a Panthers’ defender. He then roofed a backhander to beat Bobrovsky.

In addition to his goal, Knies also registered an assist in nearly 20 minutes of ice time over 26 shifts. Knies was a plus-2 while getting three shots on goal.

#1 William Nylander

William Nylander was money in the bank for the Leafs in Game 1. He scored twice and added an assist.

Let’s look at Nylander’s first tally:

Nylander got the Leafs on the board 33 seconds into the game, giving the Leafs the early lead. He struck again about 12 minutes later to make the game 2-0.

Here’s a look:

Nylander now leads the Leafs in scoring this postseason with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in seven games. The Leafs will need him to continue driving the team’s scoring as the Panthers focus on shutting down Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

The Leafs will be looking to take a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday night in Game 2 at Scotiabank Arena.