Both teams knew what this game meant going into tonight, it would determine who holds the final playoff spot in the Atlantic. Toronto opened the game on 74 points, two points ahead of the Florida Panthers, who had (and still have) a game in hand.
The first period had about everything you would want from a hockey game, tied up at three after the first 20 minutes. During that first, the expected goals ratio was 1.46, but there wound up being six goals in the opening period.
The Panthers were fantastic at creating rebound chances in the opening stages.