Maple Leafs win 2-1 shootout thriller after Panthers goal overturned

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Florida Panthers 2-1 in the shootout on Tuesday, but not without some last-minute drama.

After Auston Matthews and Sam Reinhart exchanged shootout goals in rounds three and six, Evan Rodrigues appeared to win it in round 10 after he snuck it past Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll’s pads.

But upon further review from the referees, the replay showed that Rodrigues double-tapped the puck on a slight rebound, overturning the goal.

Woll and some other Leafs had left the ice as the Panthers celebrated what the team thought was a 2-1 shootout win. However, after the announcement, everyone — including several Scotiabank Arena fans — made their way back.

Noah Gregor, who scored Toronto’s lone regulation goal in the third period to send the game to overtime, would beat Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz in round 11, leading to Woll stopping Nick Cousins to preserve the win for the Maple Leafs.

Woll stopped 37 of 38 shots for his seventh win of the season. Stolarz made 32 saves for Florida (13-7-2), while Kevin Stenlund scored for the Panthers.

Mitch Marner was forced to leave Tuesday’s game after taking a puck to the face but eventually returned sporting a cage. Defenceman Mark Giordano departed the game with a lower-body injury and did not return.

Toronto’s back end has been decimated by injury this season, with Timothy Liljegren and John Klingberg on long-term injured reserve. The team has been forced to call on William Lagesson and Simon Benoit as replacements, and Conor Timmins recently returned from a pre-season injury.

The Maple Leafs (11-6-3) picked up a big two points with Tuesday’s victory, having entered the game losers of three straight. Toronto will host the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.