The Florida Panthers halted their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, showcasing a strong performance from Eetu Luostarinen, who opened the scoring early in the third period. The Panthers also saw contributions from Gustav Forsling and an empty-netter from Carter Verhaeghe. Florida's goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was crucial, making 17 saves to secure the win. For the Maple Leafs, John Tavares netted his 37th goal of the season, but it was not enough to keep their four-game winning streak alive.

The Panthers welcomed back Aleksander Barkov after a brief injury absence, but they also faced challenges with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk sidelined, adding pressure as they aim for playoff positioning. The team is now just four points behind the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division, intensifying the race for playoff seeding. Toronto, despite the loss, has been strong this season against Florida, although the Panthers have boasted a favorable record against them recently.