The Panthers had won the last three games in the series, including a 6-1 demolition in Wedneday's Game 5. That immiedately put the pressure on the Leafs to win on the road to keep their season alive.
It was Florida who had more of the shots throughout the match, though they mustered just eight in the opening frame. It was a tense period, where the Leafs came out on the front foot. Neither side could find the back of the net though.
It was from the second period where things started to change, as the home side regained the momentum from the last three matches. Half of their 47 attempts came in the middle period. However, both goaltenders continued their good work to keep the game scoreless. Panthers' goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had saved 54 of the last 55 shots he had faced over the previous two games.
He would concede 6:20 into the third period though. A missed pass in Florida's defensive end saw them cough up possession. That allowed Mitchell Marner to pass to Auston Matthews, who broke free and fired his shot in to give the Maple Leafs the lead.
Most of the final 13:40 after that was Florida trying to tie the score to avoid a seventh game back in Toronto. Yet, their efforts proved to be futile. The Buds grabbed their second of the game, as Max Domi's pass put Bobby McMann in space. Centering his pass, he found Max Pacioretty, who converted it past Bobrovsky to double the lead for the guests.
Toronto held on for what could be a crucial victory. Game 7 will occur in Canada's largest city on Sunday night. It will be a winner-take-all game for the right to meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the East final.
