5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2

TORONTO -- The Panthers understandably were running low on gas.

But even though they were playing their fifth game in the last nine days -- with four of those contests coming on the road, mind you -- they still somehow managed to generate fire from those fumes.

Winning their franchise-record fifth straight playoff game, the Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Second Round with an inspiring 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

"That's five games in nine nights of as an intense and emotional pressure you can put on a hockey team," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "This isn't the Jersey-Rangers series where the two teams are 11 miles apart. We've been on an airplane for a while. We didn't think we had much in our legs, so it was just about character. It was just about fighting through it and battling the hard things that happen.

"Some of that's self-inflicted. We beat it up a little bit and we got above it a couple of times and missed some routes and missed some checks. It wasn't a perfect game for us by any means, but I didn't expect that from my team. I didn't expect them to be perfect tonight. I just wanted them to stay in the fight, and that's what they did."

In the history of the NHL, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series when starting on the road hold a series record of 85-21. But in looking at that record, the Panthers aren't focusing on the 82 wins, but rather the 21 teams that saw an early 2-0 lead slip away.

After all, they're only a series removed from coming back from down 3-1 to eliminate the Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins in Round 1. No matter what happens moving forward, the number is always four. It's four wins to survive and advance. There's no cheating that. Despite their strong start, they know a series isn't won or lost after just two games.

There's still lots of hockey left to be played, and these underdogs aren't done.

"It feels like we proved the last series against Boston that we're a good team," Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. "We have the confidence. We know how to play all the 60 minutes. As I said, everybody knows it's tight games. It's two good teams. It's never over. We saw that last series."

For a quick recap of the game, click HERE.

To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. LUNDY LIGHTS THE LAMP

The third line was clicking in Game 2.

Following some great forechecking from Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart got the puck and sent a behind-the-net pass to the front of the net to Lundell, who then ripped a quick shot past Ilya Samsonov and into the cage to cut Florida's deficit in half to 2-1 at 11:13 of the first period.

While the Panthers struggled out of the gate, that goal got them right back on track.

"It was huge by Lundy's line to get us back in the game," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "We scored one there and then all the sudden it's a one-goal game."

Taking his game to another level in this year's playoffs, Lundell has produced six points (one goal, five assists). Still only in his second NHL season, the feisty Finn is just the third player in franchise history to produce at least six points in a single playoff series at age 21 or younger.

Flanked by Luostarinen and Reinhart, Lundell's line has been one of the top forechecking trios for the Panthers through two games against Toronto. In Game 2, they combined for seven hits and six takeaways. Florida also led 6-3 in shots on goal when they were on the ice at 5-on-5.

"We've been able to find a game that works for us," Lundell said. "We just need to keep going."

2. FLIPPING THE SCRIPT

During his post-game press conference, "baffling" and "disappointing" were two of the words that Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe used to describe the early goings of the second period.

If you're the Panthers, that's what you love to hear.

Flipping the script on the Maple Leafs, the Panthers tied the game just 19 seconds into the second period when Anthony Duclair forced a turnover before setting up Barkov for a snipe to make it 2-2. Just 47 seconds later, Gustav Forsling buried a cross-ice feed to make it 3-2.

During the first intermission, Maurice said his speech to the players was "nothing funny."

Whatever he said, it worked.

"We needed a fresh start," said Barkov, who has picked up a point in each of his last five playoff games. "We got a couple quick ones and that was good for us. We got back into the game."

Coming out of the intermission with a head full of steam, Barkov's goal was the fastest goal to start a period in franchise history. With the Panthers able to hold on to their newfound 3-2 lead, the win in Game 2 also marked just the fourth multi-goal comeback in the club's playoff history.

You can ever count the Cats out.

"We had that in Boston," said Tkachuk, who pushed his point streak to six games with the primary assist on Forsling's goal. "You don't have the start [you want], but you fight and claw back. It's playoffs. We knew they were coming hard. We should've come out better than we did, and that's on us as players, but I think the adjustments we made in the intermission were great."

3. BOB IS BUILDING

After the win, everyone pointed to one man.

Sergei Bobrovsky.

Standing tall for the second straight game to start the series, "Bob" finished with 35 saves in Game 2, including turning aside all 22 shots that Toronto fired his way after the first period.

"He was Bob in net again," Lundell said with a big smile. "We need him. He was as good as we expected. A huge, huge game for him. He kept us alive, for sure."

Stopping nine of 10 high-danger shots throughout the game, Bobrovsky's biggest save in Game 2 came when he lunged forward out of his crease to deny Auston Matthew, the NHL's MVP last season, on a dangerous shot to keep the 3-2 lead intact for the Panthers in the second period.

Per MoneyPuck.com, Bobrovsky ranks second in the playoffs with 5.7 goals saved above expected.

"I think you need your goaltender to win you a game every series, and he did that tonight," Maurice said of Bobrovsky's heroics. "He built from it. I don't think it was easy for him at the start. Certainly the way we played in front of him for the first 10 minutes made it challenging. Then he built. You get behind the bench some nights and you get a feel for your goaltender, and you just go, 'Oh man, he's just not getting beat again.' That's what he gave our team."

Winning each of his last five starts, Bobrovsky has established a new franchise record for longest playoff winning streak by a goaltender, surpassing John Vanbiesbrouck's previous record for four. During his winning streak, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has posted a .921 save percentage.

"He played awesome," Tkachuk said. "He's been driving it for us ever since he's come back in. He deserves it. He works so hard. He's the hardest worker I've seen. Barky's probably second. Bob, he grinds. He just continues to work on his game and takes care of himself. He deserves it."

4. LET'S GET PHYSICAL

The Panthers have stuck to their plan throughout the playoffs.

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

From the moment the playoffs began, that plan has centered around physicality.

Just like they did during their upset of the Bruins, the Panthers have clearly been making the Maple Leafs feel uncomfortable in Round 2. From their relentless forechecking to finishing their hits with ferocity, the Panthers have been playing a brand of hockey that was built for the playoffs.

Through two games in Round 2, the Panthers have dished out 89 hits, with 17 of the 18 players that have suited up in the series registering at least one of them. Bolstered by a 10-hit performance in Game 2, Sam Bennett, who is currently seen as public enemy No. 1 in Toronto, has a team-high 14 hits.

With their forecheck, the Panthers have also forced 30 giveaways and swiped 18 pucks for takeaways.

"I don't think it's necessarily wearing on [the Maple Leafs] because the series just started," Tkachuk said of the Panthers' physical approach. "I can't speak for Toronto, but I know what we did last series and what made is successful was playing straight lines, finishing checks having good sticks. We're not just running around like animals right now. We're just trying to play to our identity."

5. HOMEWARD BOUND

The Panthers initially hit the road tied 3-3 in Round 1.

They're now heading home with a 2-0 lead in Round 2.

Looking to build off a strong start on the road, the Panthers will now try to carry that confidence back to their home ice when they host the Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

"Two games, two wins," Barkov said of stealing two in Toronto. "It's great. There's things that we know we've got to do better. It's a good start for us. We'll go home and work even harder."

But before the puck drops for Game 3, some rest is certainly needed and deserved.

"I'm in a suit. I don't take a shift. I don't block a shot," Maurice said when asked how the team was feeling after Game 2. "I'm feeling tired this morning, so I can't imagine how they're feeling."

Based on how last round went, the arena will certainly be rocking in Sunrise.

"I'm really excited to go back home and hear the loud Cats fans," Lundell said.

For tickets, click Video: FLA@TOR, Gm2: Lundell puts the Panthers on the board.