RECAP: Panthers miss chance to clinch playoff berth with OTL to Toronto

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers played an oustanding game.
But sometimes that just isn't enough.
Missing out on a chance to secure a playoff berth, the Florida Panthers picked up a key point but also left one on table in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena on Monday.

"We played a hell of a game, right from the start ready to go," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "Lots of energy. Got good saves. Put up some good chances. Yeah, we played a hell of a game."
Still in control of their playoff destiny with one game left to play, the Panthers (42-31-8) can punch their ticket if they defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in any fashion in their regular-season finale on Thursday in Sunrise.
They can also clinch a playoff berth before then if the Pittsburgh Penguins (40-30-10) lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation on Tuesday or if the New York Islanders (41-31-9) lose in regulation to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
"We've done what we need to do to give ourselves a chance," Maurice said.
In the first period, Alex Lyon stood on his head to keep the game scoreless. Making eight saves, three of them were considered high-danger. At the other end, Ilya Samsonov made 15 saves, including stoning Ryan Lomberg on a breakaway toward the end of the period.
Breaking the ice late in the second period, Mitch Marner fired a shot into a pile of traffic in the slot that caught a piece of Auston Matthews before trickling past Lyon to make it 1-0 at 17:47.
In the third period, the Panthers finally broke through.
After Marc Staal broke up a pass in the defensive zone, Carter Verhaeghe flew up the left side of the ice with the puck before sending it into the slot. Racing to get into the action, Brandon Montour then scooped up the rubber and fired a blistering shot past Samsonov to make it 1-1 at 9:36.

"That's a good hockey team over there," Montour said. "They obviously brought it. Guys played well. That game could've gone either way. They had chances, we had chances. [Lyon] played good, their goalie played good. We got a point. It would've been nice to get that second one and feel a little better, but if we bring effort and that game in the next game we'll be all right."
Once in overtime, Samsonov made his biggest stop of the game when he sprawled out to rob Matthew Tkachuk on a one-timer from the right circle. Soon after that, John Tavares buried a backhand shot on a breakaway to lock in the 2-1 win for the Maple Leafs at 4:38.
Lyon finished with 23 saves, while Samsonov made 45.
"If we bring that effort, that's all you can hope for," said Lyon, who's posted an outstanding 6-0-1 record while starting each of the last seven games. "I guess my philosophy is just bring your best and let the chips fall where they may. If we bring that, we have nothing be disappointed about. If we bring it again like that, it's going to make us successful more times than not."

CATS QUOTES

"You find that for veteran players this just means more to them. The pressure games are just more valuable to them. He was great tonight." - Paul Maurice on Marc Staal
"He made some big saves. I think he's obviously played pretty well this season. They've got a good goalie back there. They close in, they play tight. They give him a lot of help. Overtime, we got a point, and we move on."- Brandon Montour on Ilya Samsonov

CATS NOTES

• Marc Staal skated in his 1,100th NHL game.
  - Brandon Montour tied the franchise record for goals in a season by a defenseman with 16.
  - Ryan Lomberg amassed a team-leading seven hits.
  - Alex Lyon made eight high-danger saves.
  - The Panthers led 26-18 in scoring chances at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Unless they get some help in the standings, the Panthers will be playing for a chance to punch their ticket to the playoffs when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 82 at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
"We have all the confidence in this lineup," Montour said. "It would've been nice to get that extra point, but we can't dwell on it right now. We recover these next two days and we'll come play hard against Carolina here at home."
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