5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT)

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers have pushed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at FLA Live Arena on Sunday.

Taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, the Panthers are looking to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1996. Oddly enough, Sam Reinhart's game-winning goal in Game 3 marked the first overtime playoff goal scored at home by a Panther since 1996.

Looks like the '90s are back in style in South Florida.

"Just a lot of things going our way," defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of the Panthers, who have won a franchise-record six straight games this postseason. "We're going to take it day by day and not look at the past and whether we've won those six games in a row. We're just going to find a way to do the right things day in, day out, the things that are making us successful."

For a quick recap of the game, click HERE.

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

1. REINO'S WINNER

You need to read the below line like Jules Winnfield from "Pulp Fiction."

Looks at the big brains on Sam!

Showing off his incredible hockey IQ, Reinhart displayed an immense amount of patience and playmaking on his goal in overtime. After settling down an outlet pass from Aaron Ekblad, he drew seemingly every Maple Leaf in his direction before crossing over into the offensive zone.

With that patience giving Anton Lundell time to hop over the boards, Reinhart then banked a pass off the end boards to his teammate on the other side of the ice. Following the trail of the puck, he then collected a return pass from Lundell before beating Joseph Woll on a wrap-around to lock in the 3-2 win.

"I was able to enter over the blue, and Lundy was getting on the ice kind of late," Reinhart said, recalling the game-winning sequence. "I was able to find him off the bank. He handled it really well and gave me a lot of space underneath. I was just trying to attack the space."

Only a few days removed from mentioning that Reinhart's intelligence would make him a great coach or general manager in the future, Paul Maurice wasn't surprised by how things unfolded.

"It was the change of sides that was really impressive," the Panthers head coach said of the goal, which brought the sellout crowd to its feet. "Draw people to you, release and then go to open ice. He does that a lot in the small areas of the game that you almost have to watch on video."

That's true, but the surface-level contributions from Reinhart also really jump off the page.

Finding the back of the net in five of 10 games in this year's playoffs, his eight playoff goals since the start of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs rank as the second-most on the Panthers.

Building some great chemistry with Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, the Panthers led 19-14 in shot attempts, 5-1 in high-danger shot attempts, 6-5 in shots on goal, 10-5 in scoring chances and, most importantly, 1-0 in goals when Reinhart was on the ice at 5-on-5 in Game 3.

"Just gaining that confidence day in, day out, just a little bit more each time," said Reinhart, who's posted back-to-back 30-goal seasons since joining the Panthers. "We've had a lot of guys stepping up at big moments. We're all trying to execute the same game plan at the end of the day, and we're just gaining that much more confidence with it in tight situations."

2. BOB ON A ROLL

What's left to say about Sergei Bobrovsky?

Surrendering just two goals for the third straight game against Toronto, the veteran goaltender stopped 22 of 24 shots in Game 3, including going a perfect 5-for-5 against high-danger shots.

In the third period, he gobbled up all 11 shots he faced.

"I thought we were solid defensively," said Bobrovsky, who has won a franchise-record six straight games in the postseason. "We boxed out, we cleaned up in front of the net, and the guys had great blocked shots. All of those little things that nobody sees, we did it."

After the game, Maurice once again pointed to Bobrovsky as the team's X-factor.

"I think over the last couple years, and this would be anecdotally in conversations with [Panthers goaltending coach] Robb Tallas, that maybe over the last three years he's found different ways to recover, different ways to train, different ways to get ready," Maurice said. "He gets into a routine now that he's had all year."

Whatever his routine is, it's clearly working.

During his six-game winning streak, Bobrovsky has stopped 197 of 214 shots for a .921 save percentage. At his best in tough situations, he's made 32 high-danger saves in that stretch.

"You have to stay focused, stay humble and be prepared to win the moment," Bobrovsky said.

3. DUKE'S SPEED ON DISPLAY

The game usually slows down in the playoffs.

Unless you're Anthony Duclair, that is.

Showing off his all-word wheels, the speedy forward pulled the Panthers even in the second period when he collected a stretch pass from Ekblad and zoomed through the defense before beating Woll with a quick deke on a breakaway on the power play to bring the score to 1-1.

Extending his point streak to three games, Duclair, who has been working his way back up to full strength after missing the majority of the regular season due to an Achilles injury, has recorded five points (two goals, three assists) and 18 shots on goal in nine games during the postseason.

One-third of the top line alongside Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov, that trio was the most-effective for the Panthers at 5-on-5 in Game 3. When they were deployed, the Panthers controlled 60% of shot attempts and 57.73% of expected goals, which were both team-highs.

Seeing an uptick in his workload, Duclair skated a season-high 19:02 in Game 3.

4. FROM END TO REAR END

How elite of a scorer is Verhaeghe?

Well, it looks like he doesn't even need his stick anymore.

In the right place at the right time, Verhaeghe, who has lit the lamp in three of the last four games, helped the Panthers erase their second deficit of the game when a shot from Radko Gudas ricocheted off his backside and sailed past Woll to make it 2-2 in the second period.

"Guddy shot the puck and I was just trying to get in front," Verhaeghe said.

Rewriting the record books during his first three seasons in South Florida, Verhaeghe's 12 career playoff goals are the most by any player in franchise history. With his goal in Game 3, he also became the first Panthers player to post at least 10 points in consecutive postseasons.

"It's a lot more fun," Verhaeghe said of the playoffs. "The games are intense. Every little detail matters. It's easy to get up for these games, especially at home here. It's just a lot of fun."

Adding to the fun, Verhaeghe was originally drafted by Toronto in the third round in 2013.

5. CONTAINING TORONTO'S STARS

The Panthers continue to do an exceptional job of keeping Toronto's top players off the board.

Held without a goal once again in Game 3, the usually-lethal quartet of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner are all still searching for their first goals of the series. In Round 1 against the Lightning, those four players combined to score 13 goals.

Per NHL stats, this marks the first three-game stretch in which Matthews, Tavares, Nylander and Marner have played in together that none of those four players have touched the twine.

"Any player that likes to play with the puck, you want to get in their face, play physical and make it hard on them in any way," Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said. "I think we've been doing a good job of that."

Of those four players, Tavares, a historical thorn in Florida's side, has been doing the most while being rewarded the least. In the series, he leads the Maple Leafs in both high-danger shot attempts (12) and scoring chances (16), but doesn't have a single point to show for his efforts.

Looking ahead to Game 4, keeping these players in check will remain a major key to success for the Panthers.