5 Takeaways: Panthers Force Game 4 with Gutsy Win Over Islanders

The Florida Panthers aren't ready to ride off into the sunset.

Facing elimination in their best-of-five series against the New York Islanders, the Panthers came together to post a great team effort in a 3-2 win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

"We played hard in a do-or-die situation," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said after the victory. "We asked a lot of each other today, and we came out with a great outcome. We're pretty happy and excited to do it all again in two days."

For the second straight game, the Panthers struck first.

After Semyon Varlamov kicked out a juicy rebound, Evgenii Dadonov sent the puck through the slot to Erik Haula, who then ripped a shot from the left circle into the back of the net to put the Panthers up 1-0 at 4:02 of the second period.

With 3:34 remaining in the middle frame, Jean-Gabriel Pageau evened the score for the Islanders when he sniped a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to make it a 1-1 game heading into a do-or-die final 20 minutes of regulation for the Panthers. Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves, while Varlamov stopped 19 of 22 shots.

"It's great for our team, for our guys, for us, to step up in this game," Bobrovsky said. "It was a big game for us, a big game mentally. I thought every guy elevated his game. The guys did huge block shots. They raised the level."

Sent to the power play less than a minute into the third period after a very rare delay-of-game penalty was called on Varlamov for playing the puck outside of the trapezoid, the Panthers weren't going to let the golden opportunity pass them by.

Digging in around his usual spot near the center of the right circle, Mike Hoffman took a pass from Keith Yandle and blasted a one-timer straight past Varlamov to make it a 2-1 game with only 41 seconds having ticked off the clock in the frame.

In need of an insurance goal, veteran Brian Boyle came up big for the Panthers, jumping on a loose puck and whipping a shot into the net to make it 3-1 at 2:48.

That goal would go on to hold up as the game-winner, as Brock Nelson cut New York's deficit down to 3-2 with the goaltender pulled with 1:27 left in regulation.

"The unit went out and did what they had to do in a huge spot," Boyle said of Hoffman's power-play goal. "Then we tried to keep pressing. We kept our foot on the gas. I thought we did a pretty good job of that by playing aggressive."

Looking ahead, the Panthers will attempt to build off this uplifting victory and pull even in their series when they face the Islanders in Game 4 on Friday at 12 p.m. ET.

"We're trying not to get too high or too low," Ekblad said. "Obviously going down 2-0 is heartbreaking at times, but at the end of the day we're going to take it one game at a time and, like [Boyle] said, control things as much as we can moving forward. That's the only way. We can't really dwell on what really happened in those first two games. We have to move forward, and we did today in a big way."

1. HAULA'S HEATER

Haula's first goal as a member of the Panthers came at the perfect time.

With the game still scoreless early in the second period, the 29-year-old veteran collected a dish from Dadonov through the slot before burying a shot from the left circle on the power play to break the ice and send the Panthers ahead 1-0 4:02.

"Hauls scored a huge goal," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "Great play by Dads."

Haula also posted two blocked shots for the Panthers, with none of them bigger than when he stepped right in the way of Ryan Pulock's cannon - a shot that easily can clear 100 mph -- while on the penalty kill late in the second period.

"So much respect for that," said Ekblad, who hugged Haula on the bench afterwards.

Acquired from Carolina at the trade deadline, Haula registered two assists in seven games with the Panthers before the pause. In 47 career playoff games, the Pori, Finland native has racked up 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points.

2. HOFFMAN'S SNIPE

This is what happens when Hoffman has space to work with on the power play.

With the game tied 1-1, Hoffman collected a pass from Yandle, dropped to one knee, and unleashed a blistering one-timer that flew past a befuddled Varlamov and into the cage to put Florida on top 2-1 just 41 seconds into the third period.

"Specialty teams are important in the playoffs," Hoffman said when asked about the goal. "Like you saw today, they can win games. We were on top of our game and I'm glad we got the outcome we were looking for."

Pacing the Panthers with 29 goals during the regular season, Hoffman has been a consistent source of offense for the team in the postseason. Against New York, he leads the team with four points (two goals, two assists) over three contests.

In Game 3, Florida went a solid 2-for-5 on the power play against the Islanders.

"I think the power play has had some really good looks, zone time, different guys making some nice plays to settle the puck down," Quenneville said. "We're very happy with it right now… Hoff had the timely shot today and a very timely goal."

3. BOYLE COMES UP BIG

Given his playoff pedigree, you knew Boyle was due for a big game.

A little over two minutes after Hoffman gave the Panthers the lead, Boyle gave the team a much-needed cushion when he jumped on a loose puck in the slot and rifled a shot past Varlamov and in to make it 3-1 at 2:48 of the third period.

"We were in the neutral zone. [Ekblad] comes up and see an opportunity to jump into a play, and he does," Boyle said. "He creates some havoc. We're all trying to skate, and I got up to the puck. It's rewarding for us. We're putting the work in."

Taking the ice for the 118th postseason game of his career - the most on the Panthers - Boyle also went 7-for-12 in the faceoff circle against the Islanders, including winning a crucial draw late in the game to help seal the huge victory.

"Boyler brings a lot of the intangibles," Quenneville said. "We talk a lot about the other things he brings to our team, but I thought today he did a lot of good things, not just offensively, winning some big faceoffs.

"I thought defensively he broke up a lot of plays. You see his size, his presence. He brings a lot of things to our team. Today, he had a lot of important shifts as well… We love what he brings."

In 39 games during the regular season, Boyle tallied six goals and nine assists.

4. BOBROVSKY STANDS TALL

Bobrovsky was lights out once again. In stopping 20 of 22 shots - including six from high-danger areas, according to NaturalStatTrick.com - the 31-year-old earned his first postseason win as a Panther.

"It's so much fun to be a part of this winning experience," Bobrovsky said.

One of Bobrovsky's biggest saves came midway through the third period when he denied a point-blank chance from Mathew Barzal to keep the Cats on top 3-1.

"He's got to be our best player, and he was today," Boyle said of Bobrovsky, who went 23-19-6 during the regular season. "There are moments in a game when you can gain moment or lose momentum. When he makes those big saves, it can go either way. He certainly kept pushing us forward and keeping our momentum."

After the game, Bobrovsky gave a lot of credit to the work of the players in front of him for his performance, especially the penalty killers. For although they had three trips to the man advantage, the Islanders didn't have a single shot on net.

"I thought guys didn't hesitate," Bobrovsky said. "They went right to the puck area. They made the smart plays, smart reads, and the blocked shots, as we say."

5. COMING IN STRONG

Quenneville made quite a few lineup adjustments prior to this afternoon's game. Overall, five players that didn't participate in Game 2 were on the ice in Game 3: Josh Brown, Riley Stillman, Lucas Wallmark, Dominic Toninato and Dryden Hunt.

"That's huge," Ekblad said. "They had a big impact on this game, no doubt about it. I loved seeing them come in prepared and ready to go. It was awesome."

Quenneville had some added praise for Wallmark, who re-entered the lineup after having missed the first two games of the series for undisclosed reasons.

Making his postseason debut with Florida, Wallmark, who was acquired from Carolina at the trade deadline, was deployed as the team's second-line center and tallied three hits while going 2-for-5 in the faceoff dot over 12:19 of ice time.

"Wally came in for the first time he's played all playoffs and I thought he had a heck of a game," Quenneville said. "He did a lot of good things. We liked his thought process."

In seven games with the Panthers before the pause, Wallmark, who appeared in 15 playoff games with the Hurricanes last season, notched a goal and an assist.