WATCH: Roberto Luongo and the Panthers’ front office have an exciting post-match celebration after Game 5 win against Maple Leafs

The Florida Panthers started the series on a high and despite a slip-up in Game 4, they finished the job in Game 5.

WATCH: Roberto Luongo and the Panthers’ front office have an exciting post-match celebration after Game 5 win against Maple Leafs

Florida Panthers players celebrating. [Pic Credit: The San Diego Union-Tribune]

Despite putting up a solid performance in Game 4 to enforce a fifth game, the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ season came to an end. The Toronto-based side came up well short against the opponents, the Florida Panthers, who went toe-to-toe in the series. A controversial yet exciting Game 5 saw the Panthers beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime as Nick Cousins turned out to be the hero.

He buried his second goal in this year’s postseason with less than five minutes of time left to play. The goal sparked wild scenes of celebration as his teammates skated over to him. Former Panthers’ goaltender Roberto Luongo was watching this performance from the stands along with the team’s front office.

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This 4-1 series win showed the strength the Panthers have and solidified their status as a genuine contender. They were the side with the lowest points among the list of teams that qualified for the playoffs. This victory against the Maple Leafs sent Panthers through to their first Eastern Conference League final since 1996.

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Related: Outraged fan disrupts game throwing debris on ice brink following Maple Leafs’ no goal in Game 5

Twitter reacts as Panthers front office celebrates series win over Maple Leafs

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Florida Panthers players rejoice as they go through. [Pic Credit: The Toronto Star]

With the elimination of the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs became one of the favorites to go all the way. The Florida Panthers meanwhile, had other ideas. They would shock everyone as they took three straight games and took their opponents to the brink of a sweep. The Maple Leafs avoided the embarrassment of getting swept by winning Game 4.

It turned out they had only delayed the inevitable. In a game of fine margins in Game 5, the Panthers got the better of the Maple Leafs again and scored a winner in overtime. The members of the Panthers’ front office, who were in attendance along with Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo, were high on emotions as their side reached the Eastern Conference finals. Here are some Twitter reactions.

The Panthers will now lock horns with the Carolina Hurricanes who defeated the New Jersey Devils. An interesting fact states that this was the third consecutive series that the Panthers have won in overtime. The other two victories are their triumph over the Boston Bruins in the first round and the 2022 first-round win over the Washington Capitals. This will be the first time when these two sides meet each other in the knockout stages. The Hurricanes will be making their first appearance in the finals since their sweep at the hands of the Bruins in 2019.

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