Panthers pleased with 'good start' against Maple Leafs in East 2nd Round

TORONTO --When the Florida Panthers last played at home at FLA Live Arena on April 28, they defeated the Boston Bruins 7-5 in a wild Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round. They weren't sure they would be back again this season.

But after a 4-3 overtime win in Game 7, followed by wins in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers are heading home just two wins away from the Eastern Conference Final.

Game 3 will be in Florida on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; TBS, CBC, TVAS, SN)

"I don't think so," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said when asked if they could have asked for a better start to the series.

"Two games, two wins, it's great. We have some things to work on, we have to get better and it's a good start for us, but we go home now and work even harder, that's our plan."

Florida started Game 2 against Toronto poorly, giving up two goals by the 5:10 mark of the first period. But Anton Lundell cut into the lead at 11:13, and the Panthers scored twice in the first 1:06 of the second period (Barkov at 19 seconds, followed by Gustav Forsling) to take a 3-2 lead.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky took care of the rest, stopping the final 22 shots, including all 12 in the third period. He has allowed four goals on 73 shots for a .945 save percentage through the first two games against the Maple Leafs.

The Panthers have won five straight in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"We just work hard, we believe in each other, we believe in our system and obviously Bobrovsky has been huge for us," Barkov said. "That's all it takes, we come here, we have a plan and we did as well as possible."

RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs Panthers series coverage]

Coach Paul Maurice admitted that for the first time since being away from home, fatigue -- more so emotional than physical -- was starting to set in. But he was impressed by Florida's ability to rally in Game 2.

"It wasn't a perfect game for us by any means, but [I] didn't expect that from my team, didn't expect them to be perfect tonight," Maurice said. "Just want them to stay in the fight and that's what we did."

"It was the first time it felt like a road trip. The other ones didn't, we're wired, we're all fired up and then today, it felt like a road trip."

The Panthers will get two days off prior to Game 3. It's an extra day Maurice said will be much needed.

"That's five games in nine nights (since Game 5 against the Bruins on April 26), in as intense emotional pressure as you can put on a hockey team," Maurice said. "And this is not the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers (first-round) series where the teams' buildings are 11 miles apart; we've been on an airplane for a while.

"We didn't think we had much in our legs [Friday], so it was just about character and fighting through it and battling the hard things that happened."

Given the physical and emotional toll the Panthers have endured since trailing the Bruins 3-1 in that best-of-7 series, being up 2-0 against the Maple Leafs heading into Game 3 is impressive. But Maurice was quick to point out they have not accomplished anything yet.

"No, but it is in some ways inconsequential because the originating idea is, let's do everything we possibly can to create a Game 7. So, all we've done now is, I'm pretty sure there could be a Game 6 and that's it, just leave it," Maurice said. "In each game, it's one shot."