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Free Fall Continues - Panthers Score Five to Hand Leafs Fifth-Straight Loss

March 13, 2012, 11:08 PM ET [706 Comments]
Ken Beckett
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
'Free Falling' is not only a song by Tom Petty, but also an apt description of the Toronto Maple Leafs' play over the last month. With a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the Blue and White have dropped five in a row and 15 of their last 17 games.

Toronto's collapse in which they have gone 2-13-2 over their last 17 games to earn just six of a possible 34 points is one the likes that has not been seen in quite some time. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Leafs had just two wins in 17 games was 21 years ago in a stretch from Oct. 7 - Nov. 10, 1990.

The number five factored into Florida's win on Tuesday night in a few different ways. Not only did they score five goals, but it was also the Panthers' fifth-straight win over the Leafs, the first time they have won five consecutive games against Toronto in franchise history. In all four meetings against the Maple Leafs this season, the Panthers have scored five goals, outscoring the Blue and White by a 20-9 margin.

It did not take long for the game's first goal as Sean Bergenheim scored just 59 seconds into Tuesday's tilt to give Florida the 1-0 lead. Bergenheim's goal was his 15th of the season and first in eight games, while Mikael Samuelsson drew the primary assist for his 13th this year. Keaton Ellerby was credited with the secondary helper, giving him five assists.

Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the 14:43 mark of the second period thanks to Jason Garrison deflecting a shot past James Reimer for his 15th goal of the season. The shot came from Marcel Goc who earned his 12th assist of the year on the play. Wojtek Wolski drew the additional assist for his fourth helper in ten games since being acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the New York Rangers on Feb. 25 earlier this season.

After going two-straight games without a goal and verging on making dubious history for the first time in 85 years, the Leafs finally broke their scoring drought with a goal from Tyler Bozak at the 19:02 mark of the second period. Bozak buried a rebound off a shot from Clarke MacArthur for his 15th goal of the season and first in six games. MacArthur's assist on the goal was his 19th of the season, while Phil Kessel picked up his 38th assist of the season on the secondary helper.

Bozak's second period marker put an end to the Leafs' lengthy goalless drought, snapping it at 196 minutes and 26 seconds. The last Toronto goal came courtesy of Carl Gunnarsson in the second period of last Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. The goal stopped the Leafs' drought short of three games, as the only time in franchise history in which the team had been shutout in three consecutive games was a stretch from Dec. 14-20, 1926.

The Panthers' power play struck twice in the third period to extend Florida's lead in the final frame. Tomas Kopecky deflected a shot from Garrison with Carter Ashton in the penalty box for high-sticking to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Then just over four minutes later, Gunnarsson coughed up the puck inside the Leafs' zone which resulted in a goal from Goc at the 10:28 mark for his ninth of the season.

Following a fight between Ashton and fellow Team Canada World Junior alumni Shawn Matthias, the Leafs trimmed Florida's lead to two when Mikhail Grabovski converted a rebound opportunity at the 13:50 mark of the third. Grabovski's goal was his 22nd of the season and fourth in his last six games. Luke Schenn was credited with primary assist for his 18th of the year and MacArthur drew his second assist of the game on the play.

Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle pulled Reimer for the extra attacker late in the game but it did not pay off, as Bergenheim potted the empty netter with 1:20 left in regulation for his second goal of the game while clinching the victory.

Florida's win is their second-straight and helps them stay ahead of the Washington Capitals in the race for the Southeast Division lead. The Caps earned a 5-4 shootout victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday and sit one point back of the Panthers. Washington's win combined with the Leafs' loss is bad news for those in Leafs Nation as it puts Toronto an ten points back of the Capitals for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with only 12 games remaining on the schedule.

In his first start since Feb. 28 which also came against the Panthers, Reimer allowed four goals on 26 shots for his fifth-straight loss, dropping his record to 11-12-4 this season. The Morweena, Manitoba native has struggled since returning from a head injury on Dec. 3, posting a 7-12-3 record since making his way back into the lineup.

The Leafs are back in action on Thursday when they take on 50-goal scorer Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third game of their current five-game road trip.

Leafs vs. Panthers Stats Recap

Shots
TOR: 28
FLA: 27

Shot Leaders
TOR: Mikhail Grabovski (5)
FLA: Kopecky and Garrison tied (5)

Power Play
TOR: 0/2
FLA: 2/4

Blocked Shots
TOR: 8
FLA: 13

Blocked Shot Leaders
TOR: Mike Komisarek (2)
FLA: Ellerby and Weaver tied (3)

Hits
TOR: 35
FLA: 33

Hits Leaders
TOR: Kulemin, Phaneuf and Steckel tied (5)
FLA: Keaton Ellerby (5)

Face-Offs
TOR: 25/50 (50%)
FLA: 25/50 (50%)

Face-Off Leaders (Min. 10 opportunities)
TOR: Tyler Bozak - 6/10 (60%)
FLA: Marcel Goc - 8/16 (50%)

Time on Ice Leaders
TOR: Jake Gardiner (24:46)
FLA: Mike Weaver (24:34)

Three Stars
1) Jason Garrison - FLA (1G, 1A)
2) Marcel Goc - FLA (1G, 1A)
3) Tomas Kopecky - FLA (1G, 1A)

If those of you in Leafs Nation would like to subject yourself to highlights of the Toronto's loss to the Panthers, check out Leafs Nation Network.

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