The Panthers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final after Nick Cousins scored the winning goal in overtime against the Maple Leafs.

In the fifth game of their second-round playoff series, the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 and advanced to the Eastern Conference final thanks to Nick Cousins' goal in overtime at 15:32 and Sergei Bobrovsky's 50 saves.
Aaron Ekblad and Carter Verhaeghe contributed a goal and an assist each, enabling the Panthers to establish a 2-0 advantage during the initial period.
The Maple Leafs, who defeated Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs, had not advanced in 19 years. Morgan Rielly and William Nylander were the ones who scored for the team.
In his initial playoff game at home, the inexperienced goalkeeper Joseph Woll made 41 saves.
During the additional period, Cousins scored his second goal of the playoffs by quickly shooting the puck on the side of the net, beating Woll and leading the Panthers to the conference finals for the first time since 1996.
For additional sports coverage, visit FOXNEWS.COM. Florida, the team that had the lowest number of points to make it to the playoffs, won all three games in Toronto and now has a 6-1 record on the road in the playoffs. They caused an upset by defeating the Boston Bruins, who had set a record.
The next opponent for the Panthers is the Carolina Hurricanes, who also won against the New Jersey Devils in five games.
Woll had just made 24 saves in Game 4, which resulted in a victory and prevented the team from being swept.
The Stars have moved closer to the Western Conference finals after winning Game 5 against the Kraken. However, despite their breakthrough against the Lightning, the Maple Leafs are now facing an uncertain offseason.
The contract of Kyle Dubas, the general manager, is set to expire on June 30 and there have been talks about the future of Sheldon Keefe, the coach.
Nylander and Auston Matthews are eligible to sign contract extensions starting from July 1, as they both have one year left on their current contracts. On the other hand, Mitch Marner's no-movement clause will become effective on the same day.
Toronto's potent offense, which consists of the "Core Four" players Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and John Tavares, only managed to score three times in the series. This is surprising considering the team only scored a total of 14 goals in their last seven playoff games, with a meager 10 goals against the Panthers.
To obtain the Fox News app, click on the provided link. The Leafs had a record of 1-5 in their home games during the post-season.