Five Takeaways - Leafs vs. Panthers - 02/20/18

1. Goal puts Leafs up early on Panthers, as van Riemsdyk's scoring streak shows no signs of slowing.After splitting the weekend with a road loss to the Penguins Saturday and a win over the Red Wings in Detroit Sunday, the Leafs returned home for the first game of a three-game run at Air Canada Centre. Their opponent was a Panthers team that's won seven of its past 10 games, but it was the Leafs who struck first, getting a goal from winger James van Riemsdyk with only 29 seconds remaining in the opening period.

It was the fifth goal in seven games (and the 26th of the season) for van Riemsdyk, and it snapped the Buds' two consecutive games of being scored on first. The first goal isn't a guarantee a team will win, but in the Leafs' case, an early lead infuses goaltender Frederik Anderson with an edge allowing him to be more aggressive, and that's often been a bad infusion for Toronto's opponents.

2. Gardiner's assist pushes him atop Leafs' leaders in helpers, pulls him near career-high.The secondary assist on van Riemsdyk's goal went to blueliner Jake Gardiner, who registered his 33rd helper of the year on the play and moved to the top of the list of the Leafs' best assist-producers. Gardiner set his current career-best of 34 helpers last season, but he did so in 82 games; this time around, Gardiner needs two in his final 20 games to set a new career mark.
3. Andersen, Luongo make life tough on Panthers, Leafs during scoreless second frame. Toronto's Andersen has worked himself into discussions and debates about the NHL's best netminder this season, and rightfully so: the 28-year-old had six wins in his past nine games prior to Tuesday's showdown, and he was in fine form again against Florida, turning aside all 37 shots he faced through the first 56 minutes of action, including the avalanche he faced in the third, when Toronto was outshot 13-5 through the 16-minute mark of the period.

So too was veteran star Roberto Luongo. Having recently returned from a groin injury that kept him out of action from early December through Feb. 16, Luongo also looked solid, stopping 30 of 31 shots from the Leafs through the first 18 minutes of the third period. Panthers head coach Bob Boughner pulled Luongo with approximately one minute of regulation time remaining, but Andersen was superb in the face of late pressure and denied Luongo the chance to win the game in overtime or a shootout.

4. Andersen at playing peak, reaches career-best in single-season shutouts.Andersen is a low-key guy away from the ice, but his focus during the game is intense and single-minded. And when he's playing his best, he's confidently shaking off the puck, moving up toward the shot with confidence, and keeping his lines of vision as clear as possible. That was all apparent Tuesday, as Andersen never faltered in any of the three periods and stopped all 40 Panthers shots to register his fifth shutout of the season - a new single-season high for him - and the 15th of his career.
Seeing a lot of pucks is no issue for Andersen. In fact, he's thrived on it this season, and his blanking of Florida improved his record to 7-0-2 when he faces at least 40 shots in a game. Of course, in head coach Mike Babcock's perfect world, the Leafs would've been much more proficient at limiting Toronto's shots-against numbers, but it really didn't matter Tuesday, as Andersen gave the impression he could've stopped another 40 to win this one. He's a workhorse who was playing in his 51st game of the season, and he's never looked better.
5. Leafs outshot by Panthers in third, but ward off Florida's advances, build new win streak.The Leafs were outshot by the Panthers 15-5 in the third period and were on their heels for a good deal of it, but pulled off the victory to give them their second win in a row. But when you take a look at the bigger picture and Toronto's showing in the standings since they ended a slump in late January, you'll see the Leafs have lost just twice in their past 13 games, and they've won all but two of those 11 games outside of regulation time.
That's an indication of how consistently above-par the Buds have played, and doing so in a defensive manner as they did Tuesday proved their wins don't always have to come from an onslaught of offence. They'll try making it three wins in a row Thursday when the New York Islanders visit ACC, and if they put forth a similarly robust defensive effort, the odds of building the win streak will be high.