The game marks the first of three meetings between the Maple Leafs and Panthers in the final five weeks of the season. They'll face each other again in Toronto on April 2 followed by a matchup six days later at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.

The protagonist, it turned out, was Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who earned a place in NHL history. He recorded his 424th career victory as the Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2. The win moved Bobrovsky into sole possession of 10th place on the league’s all-time wins list, surpassing Hall of Famer Tony Esposito.

Sam Bennett scored two power-play goals as the visiting Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday night.