Verhaeghe, Panthers defeat Maple Leafs to end 4-game skid

Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and two assists, and the Florida Panthers ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday.

Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (13-9-1), who had lost six of seven. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves.

“We have been trying to find our identity and get that back,” said Barkov, the Florida captain. “It all comes from hard work and being simple, being hard, being physical. That’s our game. We did that in the first (period), kept it going, and finished strong.”

Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who was very vocal during a spirited practice on Tuesday, said he liked the reaction from his team.

“We had our priorities right in what we were trying to accomplish on the ice,” Maurice said. “You can’t be all things at all times, and I think we tried to be that over the last little while.”

Mitch Marner scored for the Maple Leafs (13-7-2), who had won four straight and seven of eight. Anthony Stolarz made 19 saves in his first game against the Panthers since winning the Stanley Cup with them last season.

“Emotions were high, but we obviously would have liked a different outcome especially early on for me,” Stolarz said. “I think I could have made one of those saves early and kept it a little tighter. You look on the other end, and [Bobrovsky] was making some saves to keep them with a two-goal lead.”

Barkov made it 1-0 for Florida on the power play at 4:46 of the first period by one-timing a feed from Aaron Ekblad at the right face-off dot.

Mackie Samoskevich pushed it to 2-0 at 5:36. After losing the puck while trying to feed Eetu Luostarinen in front, he had it bounce back to him below the left circle and snapped a shot inside the right post with bodies in front of Stolarz.

Sam Reinhart extended it to 3-0 at 17:04 of the second period with a short-handed goal, scoring over Stolarz’s right shoulder from the top of the slot off a drop pass by Barkov.

“We played fast from the get-go,” Reinhart said. “We were quick on our reads and limited their time and space. They have some good players over there. As much as we can do that, it will benefit us.”

Marner cut it to 3-1 at 18:31 during the same power play. He gathered the puck in front of Bobrovsky following a face-off, got the goalie to commit low and lifted the puck over him from the right side.

After Toronto forward William Nylander got a double minor for high-sticking Florida defenseman Nate Schmidt at 13:20 of the third period, Verhaeghe made it 4-1 on the ensuing power play, putting a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Stolarz from the left circle at 14:27.

Bennett scored into an empty net at 18:32 for the 5-1 final.

“We talked before the game and knew 5-on-5 would be tight, but special teams were the difference,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “We gave up two power-play goals to them and a shorty. That was the difference in the game. … We have to be sharper, some of the penalties we did not need to take. We were trying to come back and took six minutes of penalties in the third. That makes it difficult.”

Florida was without center Anton Lundell, who needed stitches after taking a puck to the face during a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday. He had been a game-time decision.

“He was a little sore, and they put the big bubble [mask] and he just didn’t feel right,” Maurice said following the game. “I would think that he plays in the next game because he was very close to playing in this one. But he will have to play better.”

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